Chains Around Her Heart
by M. Michelon
Summary: They didn't want each other back then. Now five years later, Roxanne Potts arrives in La Push on accident, after losing everything. Her mother always said that people could change, that she needed to give him a chance. Now, with Brady Blackstone trailing after her like a puppy, will she give him a chance? Or will she keep the chains around her heart locked tight?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Okay, all, here's the beginning of a Brady story. I hope you all enjoy!**

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**Preface**

"I suppose that if you don't like him this year, then we can abandon this whole thing," my mother said. I smiled at her, combing my hair through and setting it in its braids. Every Fourth of July since we were four years old, Brady Blackstone and I had been forced to come together. Our parents had hoped that we would be everything they wanted us to be. Friends when we were young, lovers as we got older, and eventually husband and wife. It was supposed to be an arranged marriage, like the tribes of old. It just couldn't account for the hatred we had of one another.

If ever there was a more intolerable human being than Brady, I had never met them. He was immature, selfish, entitled, everything that my father made sure that I wasn't. My parents meant well, but my father was wrapped around my mothers finger tight enough to cut off the circulation. My mother had always wanted a connection to her best friend on the La Push reservation, especially since we didn't have reason to leave the Makah reservation as often as she would like. Brady, being the son of my mother's best friend, was the only choice.

So the dragged us together, but we hated each other. He had teased me since I was a little kid, calling me "four eyes" back before I had my contacts. I couldn't even remember all the names that he'd given me for the braces and headgear I'd had to wear for a few years. It all stuck, though I tried to pretend that it didn't. And it helped feed my hate fire. I despised the boy. So now, finally fourteen, my mother had decided that this could be the last year. We would start high school in the fall and that would be the end of it.

I fiddled with the tail of my braid as I waited for my mother to finish loading the car. My father used to insist on helping her, but had since learned that she was just too particular about it. My dad could put something in the car and she would just end up taking it out and putting it somewhere else. Nowadays, he sat himself on the stairs of the log cabin and waited for my mom to announce that she was finished. "Are you ready to go and see him again?" my dad asked me.

"You know that I hate him," I told him instead.

"Hate is a strong word, Roxie."

"Okay, but I really, really, _really_ don't like him. He's selfish and needy and immature and just a jerk!" I declared. My mom huffed and turned around, her hands on her hips.

"Roxanne, people can change. You two are still growing up. Maybe if you weren't so hard on him," she trailed off, leaving the rest of the sentence up to me.

"Maybe if he wasn't such a dick," I trailed off.

"Watch your mouth!" both of my parents shouted at me. I flinched. "Get in the car, you two. I've had just about enough of this nonsense," she proclaimed. I rose to my feet and marched to the car, settling in for the drive with my earbuds in my ears.

The music for my next floor routine played happily in my ears while we drove. I marked the motions with my hands, playing the routine through in my brain. Before I was ready, though, we were pulling up in front of the Blackstone house. "Roxie, your mom and I expect that you are on your best behavior today. You really don't need to break any other bones of his this summer," Dad said when the engine was turned off and I had pulled the earphones from my ears.

"I maintain that he pushed himself out of the tree and broke his foot that summer," I said before I could be blamed yet again.

"And when his bike chain popped off and he broke his wrist?" my mother demanded.

"I don't know what happened," I said. I couldn't help the mischievous grin that spread over my face. "Maybe the bike didn't like him either."

Mom sighed like she was fighting for calm. "Roxanne, give Brady one last try tonight and if you still hate him as much as you say you do, then we'll set about finding you another husband."

"I don't need a husband," I grunted.

"We're not arguing about traditions, tonight," she added. "Now get out of the car and into the house. Judith is probably getting antsy."

As my mother had predicted, her best friend had been pacing nervously in the kitchen for a few minutes when we got into the house. Brady was sitting, sulking on the couch and refusing to make eye contact with me. I turned to my father and held my arms akimbo. Surely this would make him see what a pain in the ass the boy was. Instead, he just pushed his hands down in a calming motion and gave me a look that warned me not to open my mouth just yet. "Brady," his father said, "why don't you and Roxie head down to the beach? Dinner will be ready in about half an hour."

"Dad, please don't make me -"

"Brady James Blackstone," his father hissed.

"Come on, Roxanne," he groaned. "The beach will be nice and cold for us." I looked to my father for help, but he shook his head and urged me out the door.

"Brady, don't forget to keep an eye on Roxie. She doesn't know La Push," his mother warned.

"She only comes every summer to annoy the shit out of me," Brady muttered, holding the door open for me. I ducked under his arm, almost taller than him if I was wearing my favorite pair of heels, and marched outside. "Please tell me that you talked your mother out of this shit?" he begged.

"She said that so long as I still think you're the biggest douche to walk the planet, we'll give up the whole endeavor," I replied, keeping my pace equal with hid. "And so far, you're as much a pain in the ass as you were last year."

"I'm sorry that I can't spoil you, your Highness," he teased. "I forgot that you gymnastics queens think that you should have everything."

"Doesn't it amaze you that after ten years of being with me, you still know nothing?" I asked him.

"You probably don't know anything about me either," he retorted.

"I know enough, thanks," I said. He led us out to the boulders, clambering up before me to make sure that he could help me should I need it. "Do we really have to sit out here for half an hour?" I asked, more to myself than to him.

"You know that if we go back, they'll try to make us go out again later tonight."

"Don't you have friends that you could call? I really don't want to sit out here with you for twenty minutes," I retorted.

"If I call friends, they'll find out somehow." I sighed heavily and settled myself more comfortably on the boulder. "At least our parents are giving us some say in the matter. Some of the parents that still believe in this stuff just force their kids and that's the end of it."

"So I'm supposed to be grateful that I have to spend to look at you every summer?" I said, making sure that I said it before he could. The last thing that I needed was for him to throw the first verbal punch.

"You're not exactly something good to look at, Muscles," he said, lightly squeezing my biceps. I wrapped my arms tight around myself and leaned back. As a gymnast, of course I had bigger muscles than the average girl my age. Brady was just the only one who ever commented on it.

"I hate you," I said, jumping off the rock and landing lightly.

"Feeling is more than mutual," he promised me. "Of all the girls in the world that I had to be promised to, it had to be the most entitled girl with arms and hands like a man," he added on for good measure.

I sprinted to the house and burst inside, ignoring the surprised glances of the parents. "Mom, can we leave now?" I asked.

"Roxanne, that is hardly polite," she said. I looked at her with pleading eyes and then at my father. There must have been tears or something shimmering in my eyes, though, because she rose. "I think we'll have to get going early today, Judith." The woman that I thought of as my aunt nodded and looked at me. We left all of the food and things that my mother had packed and headed back out to the car. We were barely out of the driveway and down the road before my mother started. "I cannot believe you, Roxie. Would it really be so difficult for you to give the boy a chance?" she demanded. "He's a nice boy, sweetheart."

"Kelly, don't you think that maybe she just doesn't like the boy?"

"Stop defending her!" my mother said. "You do this every single time."

"Mom, tree."

"I don't know what you're trying to say, Roxie, but I still think -"

"Kelly! Tree!"

The care hit the trunk at the perfect angle to send us spinning off the highway and into the forest. My mother's scream sounded through the air as my father shouted both of our names. The last thing that I felt was the pop of my shoulder and the crushing blow to my arm as the car rolled and rolled and finally hit another tree.


	2. Chapter I

**Author's Note: Okay, all, here's the official first chapter. This story will be a little different from my others, so I hope you enjoy!**

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**_Six Years Later_**

**Chapter I**

"You haven't seen them in five years, Roxie. It's not going to do any harm," my father said, sinking down on the bed beside me. "I told you that I wouldn't make you marry him." There was a part of me, stupid as she was, that would marry Brady Blackstone just for my mother, just so that I would have that piece of her. She'd always thought that we would be perfect for one another. It was silly, how wrong that she was. But without her here with us, I would give anything just to have that piece of her again. "Did you want me to braid your hair?" he asked.

"No," I replied tersely. He'd tried so hard to step in and be everything that I could need. I just didn't like the reminder of everything that I had lost. "And I don't want to go tonight."

"It's been five years since she died, Roxanne. We're just trying to remember her. I haven't made you go back since then." He hadn't; that was true. Hell, he hadn't even made me get off of the Rez since she'd died. He'd tried once, but I'd nearly gone hysterical when we passed the part of the forest that had forever changed my life. "Judith has been asking about you, dear. She's been worried about you and all I can do is tell her that you're fine."

"I am fine!" I shouted at him.

"You're not! I understand that gymnastics was an important part of your life, sweetheart, but your life is not over now that it is. Your mother wouldn't be happy with the fact that you've given up," he argued. "Brady and his family are anxious to see you again."

"The last person that I need to see is Brady," I retorted. He would only use this against me, like he had everything else in my life. Even when it was my glasses, the lenses that I couldn't _see_ without, he'd been cruel. God only knows how he would be now, especially considering... "I don't want to go, Dad."

"Roxanne, I never make you do anything," he cried. "I'm sorry that you don't want to do this, but your family deserves the chance to get to see you. So pack your things. We're staying the weekend in La Push and that is the last that I will hear about this. I'll even bring_ it_ if that will make you feel better."

He rose off the bed, leaving me sitting there with my hairbrush in hand, and marched out the door. I heard the suitcases being dropped down from the hall closet and realized that this time, he wasn't kidding. He was really going to make me go back there. "I hate you!" I screamed at him through the open doorway. I chucked my hairbrush at him, though my aim with my left hand was never as good. It hit the hallway somewhere near his body, undoubtedly leaving a dent in the wall from the curse that he let out. "I hate you and I'm not going."

"I guess that's just something that we'll both have to live with," he retorted. He threw my bra at me, the back of it clasped like it was supposed to be. I struggled into it and then into my shirt before pulling on my jeans. There was no getting around it. My father seldom asked me to do something and wouldn't let me weasel my way out of it. He usually left me to my own devices, leaving me to wallow in my misery as I would like. Half an hour after yelling at me, he knocked on the door again, the plastic limb hanging from his hands. "Do you want it?" he asked.

"No," I replied shortly, brushing my hair away from my face. "He's going to tease me no matter what I do. Might as well let him get it over with all at once."

"They're not going to make fun of you, sweetie," he said.

"No; worse. They're going pity me," I retorted. "He'll tease me and make fun of me because he's heartless and soulless."  
"Roxanne," my father warned.

"But Judith and Michael will just pity me. He'll tell his friends about me, about the sad, sorry one-armed girl that he was going to have to marry," I said. "It doesn't matter. Let's get going. The last thing that I want to do is prolong the inevitable." I pulled the sweater up over my shoulders and tucked the sleeve into the pocket, hoping that it would somehow hide the damage. I kept my head down and my hood up as we walked out to the car, though there was no rain falling from the sky.

"I wish that you wouldn't seem so glum all the time," he said. "I know that you wish that things were different, Roxanne -"

"Stop," I said. "We're driving and you know how I feel about that." I pulled the hood farther over my eyes, trying to black out everything before me. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the window pane. I let the world fade away and let myself drift off to sleep.

"Roxie, we're here," Dad said what felt like moments later. "You should get out of the car." I sat up, looking out the window at the family on the porch. Brady was sitting with his elbows on his knees, between his parents, waiting patiently for me to arrive. A young boy that I had never met before sat in front of him, maybe five or six-years-old. Judith and Michael were sitting on either side of themI brought the fingers of my left hand up to my mouth, tugging at my bottom lip with my hand. "I have the arm in the back of the car if you're wanting that."

"No," I whispered. "I'm fine. I just need a minute or two to get myself together." A minute or two was not going to be given to me though. Brady looked slightly unhappy and shoved up off the porch, marched to the door and holding it open for me.

I waited, rather impatiently, for him to start talking. The fabric of my sleeve flattened out after my stub of an arm, the cloth draped in the pocket like it was nothing. Brady's eyes widened as he realized what was missing, but he never did look at my face. Still, I waited for him to say something, for him to make a joke about the fact that I had only one arm. Instead, he just kept holding the door. Finally, he murmured, "Hey guys; I'll get your bags." Still, I was expecting him to tease me when I dropped out of the car.

His mother and father's eyes widened, like they hadn't been expecting me to step out of the car with only one arm. Judith stepped forward after a long moment of gawking, pushing the younger boy that I had noticed in front of her. "Roxie, this is our son, Timmy. Tim, this is Roxanne." The boy cocked his head to the side, like children do when they're considering something.

"What happened to your arm?" he asked.

"A monster ate it off because I didn't eat my vegetables," I replied. His pretty little brown eyes went wide with shock, the innocent fear in his eyes almost making me laugh. "I was in an accident when I was younger."

"So, no monsters?" he asked just to clarify.

"You'll have to decide for yourself. Look," I said. I unzipped the lightweight jacket and pulled it off, exposing the stub of what was left of my arm. The scar was jagged and gross, covering the whole bottom of the stub like a seam. It was a seam, I suppose. Tim gasped out loud and reached out, but quickly pulled back. "It's okay; it doesn't hurt," I promised him. His fingers ran lightly over my skin. The scar tissue had built up there, making it hard and bumpy. "See? It's kind of freaky, huh?"

"Kind of," he agreed.

"Timothy!" Judith chastised.

"But she said it first," he tried. I smiled down at him and finally winked. Kids were the easiest to deal with. It might be strange to them at first, but they quickly got over their fear of it and accepted that I just had one arm. "I'll promise to eat all my vegetables from now on," he vowed to me. I smiled at him and nodded, wishing that the earth would just swallow me whole.

"Brady, why don't you show Roxie the beach? It's been a while since she's seen it," his mother suggested.

"Mom, you promised," he muttered under his breath, though it wasn't quiet enough that I couldn't hear it.

"I'm not asking you to marry her, Brady. I'm asking her to show our family friend the beach," she replied in a tone that made it sound like she wasn't asking at all. Brady grumbled and began walking towards me.

"Come on, Roxanne. Let's go down to the beach." His parents turned around and headed into the house. My father smiled at me and followed, little Tim trailing after them both. Brady watched them all and then turned his attention to me. His eyes met mine then...and then world stopped.

His jaw fell slack, dropping open like a fish out of water. His eyes roamed over my body, stopping not at my arm, but at my chest. Then he made his way back up to my face. I allowed my gaze to roam over his body as well. In the years since I had seen him, he'd grown taller and broader. His shoulders were at least twice the width of mine. He was well over six foot. His body was stringed with muscles, long and lean that suggested many years of cross country running. "Are we going?" I asked, growing uncomfortable after the silence. His eyes fell on the scar and the stub again. I tugged my jacket back into place. "Are we going anywhere? Or did you just want to sit here and stare at me?" I demanded.


	3. Chapter II

**Author's Note: Okay, here's the next chapter. Someone pointed out to me yesterday that Brady was given a last name in the ****_Twilight_**** saga. I'm just letting everyone know now that I changed that last name...because I felt like it, I guess. Hope that doesn't bother anyone. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter II**

I shoved passed him, angry at myself and angry at him. I was, more or less, angry at anyone who would let me be. I started marching towards the beach, at least I thought I was. I just wanted to keep going and keep Brady from staring at me. "They told us," he began, "I just didn't realize," he stammered, catching up with me. "How did it happen? I mean, I know about the accident and everything, but I just - -" He paused to take a deep breath, still a few paces behind me. "How did it happen?" he repeated.

I shrugged, slowing a little so I could walk more alongside him. "You guys just assumed that we made it home okay. But we hit a tree." I took a deep breath to keep in control of myself. "Mom had been swerving because she was angry at me. She hit the tree and we spun out." Unbidden images of the pavement swirling erupted before my eyes. "My arm was caught, pinned between the tree and the car. The window shattered when we hit it and my arm flew outside and got stuck. My mom was dead. My dad was unconscious. By the time someone noticed we were gone and called for help, the blood had been cut off for too long."

"How long?" he asked then. His voice sounded strained, like he was struggling to keep control. I knew that tone. It was the one that I used far too often, especially when I went to the doctor's office. "How long were you guys stuck there?" he expanded.

"Best guess it just about twenty-four hours. I don't remember any of it. When I woke up, I was in the hospital and it was gone. I remember being stuck from like the shoulder down, but I passed out. When they found me, they said that the tips of my fingers were dead. The tissue was beyond revival and infection was imminent. They told my dad that they could try to save it, but he told them to save me instead. I was sick, hypothermic from being out in the cold in just my tank top for too long. I just had too many problems to be worried about an arm that wouldn't have full use anyways."

He was silent, walking beside me stiffly. He looked like he was in pain when I finally looked up at him. "How did no one find you guys for a whole day? You were just off the interstate, right?" he asked, his mouth still in a taut line.

"No one could see us. We fell down into the embankment before the river, into the dried up bed where those tree sprout from. No one could see us from the road, we were too far from the main part. The only reason anyone bothered to look for us was because Dad didn't show up for work Monday." I reached over my body and tucked the sleeve into the pocket.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I was a dick to you back then." I sighed. It was probably the closest thing to a real apology that I was every going to get. I licked my lips, allowing myself to remember those days. It wasn't necessarily that Brady had just always been mean to me. I hadn't been very nice to him either. We fed off of each other. He was mean to me, so I responded in kind, and he was meaner because I had been mean.

"Well, I wasn't very nice either," I admitted, able to look at it for the first time without hating him. "You were only being a guy, I guess."

"That's no excuse for the things that I said to you, Roxanne," he replied quietly. "I hope you know that it wasn't you as much as it was the situation. I don't like being told what to do and here I was being told how I was going to live the rest of my life. It wasn't you."

"I guess that I could say the same. I just thought that you were so immature, you know." It was probably the first honest conversation that I had ever had with him. Our time together as little kids had been spent just being mean to one another. Our conversations were meant to dig in, to cut to the core. I never really got to know the boy. "My mother said that you were a nice guy, but I only knew the asshole, you know?"

"I guess we could even say that this is my fault, huh?" he said, gesturing to my lack of an arm. "Weren't you right handed?" he added suddenly.

I quirked a half smile, remembering my fear when I had first woken in the hospital room to see my dominant arm gone. "I was," I replied. "The cut off my right arm, so I learned how to do things with my left. And all my homework and stuff was typed," I added. "I don't really write anymore." I didn't really do a lot of things that I had loved to do anymore. Writing. Gymnastics... Gymnastics. "How is this your fault?" I asked before I could let the grief swallow me again.

"I was such a jerk to you, Roxanne. I didn't even need to be that big of a douche." I shrugged again. It was a good motion, one that I could still do without looking awkward. "No, no shrugs," he said. "You said once that I didn't know you. At the time, I was stupid and rude, Roxanne, but you're right. I didn't know you. Please, just give me a chance to really get to know you. Please. Because if I had been nicer to you, none of this would have happened. You wouldn't have left early and your mom wouldn't have been mad at you. And you will still be a gymnast."

"Don't," I said, stepping away from him. He narrowed his eyes at me in confusion. "Don't pity me," I muttered. "I don't need it. Actually, I hate it. I don't need anyone's pity, least of all yours. It wasn't your fault. My mom was angry. I should have controlled my temper. There are a lot of things that should be different, but they're not. It's okay, Brady. I can deal with all of that. What I can't deal with is the pity. So, just don't."

"I'm not pitying you!" he argued.

"You are. I can see it in your eyes, Brady. I don't need pity." I rushed forward, leaving him behind me. I found the boulders, the same ones that we had sat on all those years ago. I leaned forward to keep myself on balance and started up, using the various rocks as stairs on the way up.

"Let me help you," he said, gripping my elbow lightly.

"I don't need your help," I said, tugging my arm from him. "I don't need you. I don't think that you get it, Brady. I have been like this for six years. I don't need pity. I don't need help. I'm fine on my own."

"Is it so hard to believe that I've changed?" he asked, clambering up behind me and settling beside me on the rock. I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my one hand on my them. "I'm not the person that I was before, Roxanne. Please give me a chance."

"You've changed, Brady and that's great. But I've changed too. I don't need someone to approve of me anymore. I may not be the person that I always _thought_ I was going to be, but I know what I am and what I'm not. So the both of us have changed," I concluded. "That's all there is to it."

"Roxanne, please," he begged.

"Look, I have nothing against hanging out with you this week. My mom would have wanted me to get to know you better. You know, instead of just yelling at each other." I tried to smile at him. "But I really, really, _really, _don't need anyone's sympathy. I can do anything that anyone else can do. It just takes me a little longer than most."

"So we can hang out? We can get to know each other better?" he replied.

"No; I can get to know you better, but Brady there's nothing about me to get to know," I explained. He sighed and dropped his head down to his hands. "You don't have to feel bad, man," I said. "There's just not much to me."

"I've made such a mess of this," he muttered. "I shouldn't have been so mean to you, Roxanne. I was a stupid, naive fourteen-year-old."

"It's fine," I whispered.

"It's not, though. When we were younger, I always thought that you were awesome. I mean, yeah I was mean to you but you were always so sure of yourself. You didn't seem to give a damn about what I thought, what anyone thought. You were so...you. I know that there's more to you than what you're saying."

I licked my lips and looked down. Because he was wrong. There was nothing left to me. I had lost two of the most important things in my life. But telling him that he was wrong was harder than it was to look away and let him think whatever he wanted.


	4. Chapter III

**Author's Note: Here's the lovely next chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter III:****_ Brady's Point of View_**

She'd lost her arm. It was the only thing I could think about while she was standing before me. I mean, my mom had told me Roxanne had lost her arm. I guess I just thought she had something left. But she didn't. She had maybe four inches of flesh coming off her shoulder. At least, that's what it looked like from what I could see. This wasn't what I had been expecting. _She_ wasn't what I had been expecting. The girl that I remembered was gone. The bitch who didn't give two fucks was gone. It was like the life had been drained out of her. She wasn't anything like the girl I remembered.

Least of all in looks. Besides the fact that she was missing a limb, her general appearance had changed. Her muscles, while still there and visible, weren't nearly as large as they had been. Her body had been allowed to develop and fill out. She had been pure muscles six years before, an athlete. Now, she was soft, curvaceous. She had a full bust and hips that her jeans clung perfectly to. I shook my head at myself. I shouldn't be checking her out. She may not look it, but she was undoubtedly still the same bitch she had always been.

I flickered my gaze up to hers then. Eye contact would be the best way to get my focus off her luscious body. Her jade green eyes met mine, then. I felt a shudder ripple through me. Girly and cliche as it may sound, I felt as if the very fabric of my soul had been torn apart. The guys said that imprinting felt different to each of us. Jake felt as if his world had stopped, as if he couldn't breathe. Sam said he felt as if Emily had crawled beneath his skin and warmed him from the inside out. Each man felt something different, but ultimately we all knew when we found her. Or him, in Leah's case.

Roxanne was standing in front of me, her gaze fearful and nervous. She was my imprint. This girl, this bitch that I never thought I would want anything to do with, was the woman that I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with. Suddenly, the idea that anything else could harm her was too painful for me. I let my eyes travel down her body, making sure that there was nothing else missing, that she didn't show any signs of favoring anything. Of course, traveling the road of her curves, which were decidedly feminine, didn't have the intent that I had expected. Instead of being concerned for her well being, desire pulsed through me. Desire that was ill-placed and ill-timed.

I brought myself back to the task at hand, only to find her inspecting me as well. My eyes drifted over her chest, the beautiful indents of her collarbones, over the delicate curve of her shoulders. And to the stub. The scar looked thick, jagged. It looked like it had been cut off with a saw instead of a surgical tool. Although, what did I know. I didn't even know how it had happened to her. She gripped the cotton of her jacket in her hand and pulled it up over her shoulder, the sleeve hanging limply by her side. "Are we going anywhere? Or did you just want to sit here and stare at me?" she demanded impatiently.

It took me a while, but I finally worked up the nerve to ask the question that was on my mind. The feel of her walking beside me eased the tearing inside my heart. Each step we took was like another stitch in the fabric of my soul. But it was _her_ that was sewing me back together. She was shoving herself into my soul, pushing herself into my life. She didn't even knew it, either. She talked, telling me about the glass splintering, her arm flailing outside, the crushing blow of it being pinned between tree and metal. Stuck there, in her own personal torture, for a full day. No one there to see her, no one there to come and get her.

Then it dawned on me. Her mother had been so angry at her...because she was angry at me. I had liked her, from the very beginning I had like her. But she was so standoffish, so sure of herself. Our parents kept saying things about _when_ we got married, kept telling me what the rest of my life was going to be like. Being told what to do, coupled with her blatant hatred of me, made me a jerk. If I had jut gotten over myself for one God damned minute and treated her with the respect I was raised with, none of it would have happened. She would have been at the beach with me, not in that car. Not stuck there for a day. "I guess we could even say that this is my fault, huh?" I swung my hand in the direction of her empty sleeve. "Weren't you right handed?" I remembered.

She almost smiled, the sight of it slightly strange on her face. It looked like she hadn't smiled in ages, like she hadn't laughed in forever. "I was," she replied. "They cut off my right arm, so I learned how to do things with my left. And all my homework and stuff was typed." The licked her lips. "I don't really write anymore." There was a sadness that hit her eyes, a sadness that I couldn't bring myself to ignore. I had caused that. I should have been nicer. Thank God for wolves and phasing. I learned real quick that being a dick wouldn't get me anywhere. A few fights with Jake, being shoved into my place, that was it. That was what I needed. Unfortunately, I needed back then. I had ruined her life.

"Don't," she murmured when I said as much. She took a step away from me, suddenly putting distance between the two of us. "Don't pity me. I don't need it. Actually, I hate it." I wasn't pitying her. I was just realizing the part that I had played in the destruction of her life. I had ruined everything. I had killed her mother. "I don't need anyone's pity, least of all yours." There was the hatred again. She could say whatever she wanted, but she still hated me. Somewhere deep down, she hated me. "It wasn't your fault. My mom was angry. I should have controlled my temper." I couldn't listen to her talk about it anymore.

Trying to argue with her didn't do me any good. She took the steps even farther away from me and headed towards the boulders. The only thing that we had in common back then was our disdain of our situation. That was where we went to commiserate. That was where she was going now, clambering up the steep, moss slick rocks by herself. Her body was tipped forward precariously, I think to keep her balanced.

I jogged up to where she was, touching her elbow softly. The feel of her sent electricity coursing through me. "Let me help you," I implored.

She yanked her arm away from my grasp, almost losing her balance. "I don't need your help. I don't need you. I don't think that you get it, Brady. I have been like this for six years. I don't need pity. I don't need help. I'm fine on my own." But I could see in her eyes that she wasn't. She was holding back. She was afraid. Of what, I didn't know.

I didn't know how to go about explaining any of this to her. I didn't know how to tell her that I was truly sorry for the things that I did. Telling her that I had changed wasn't doing anything, that much was clear. I finally got her to agree to hanging out with me for the weekend, but now I had to deal with getting her to believe me. After all the things that I had said to her, how could I show her that I was wrong? Because I had been wrong. I hadn't known her.

Before I was going to get into wolves, vampires, imprints, phasing, I was going to have to get to know her. She'd always said that I was wrong, but in my stupidity I hadn't listened to her. "We should get home," I said, noticing her shivers. "It's getting cold out here and our parents will be worried about us soon. Besides, I'm sure that Timmy wants some more time with you."

She snorted, but shoved up to her feet, jumping down from the boulder and landing with ease. Despite having only one arm. "I probably scared your little brother into thinking that he needs to eat brussels sprouts everyday for the rest of his life." I laughed, remember the look on my baby brother's face when he saw Roxanne's lack of an arm.

"Yeah, where'd you come up with that?" I asked then.

"That's what the nurses used to tell the pediatric patients when I was stuck in the hospital. It kind of stuck." She tok a few steps, but stopped and waited for me. That was progress, I suppose. "We should go home."


	5. Chapter IV

**Author's Note: Okay, all, I know it's been a few days. I know that this seems silly, but I like all of my stories to be on a system and when they're not... Let's just say it throws me off. Well, I hope you all enjoy!**

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**Chapter IV**

By the time Brady and I got to his house, I had decided that this was going to be the longest weekend of my life. I was attracted to him, differently than I had been. As a kid, I had always found Brady attractive. There were no two ways around that. But back then, the way that he acted made it easier for me to forget that. Today, however, he'd made it nearly impossible for me to ignore him. He wasn't being mean or cruel. He'd apologized multiple time for the things that he'd done. He'd been great, which made me scared.

He didn't seem to be worried about the fact that I didn't have an arm. The only time that he said anything about it was when he was blaming himself. It was ironic, actually. The person that I blamed for it in the beginning, that I later learned wasn't responsible at all, was blaming himself. I had looked for reasons to give him the blame, to tell him that it was his fault. Then my mother's words would come floating into my ears. "You can't control the actions of other people, Roxie. You can only control your reaction." That was how I knew it wasn't Brady's fault. He had been a dick, but my reaction to that was what had caused the entire ordeal.

"Roxanne, go help Judith get some lunch ready," my dad called when I walked into the house. I nodded and turned towards the kitchen.

"Oh, no, no Roxie, sweetheart you don't have to," Judith said immediately. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. People, especially adults, always did this. It was like they thought that they were protecting me by treating me like a child.

"Judith, she can do it," Dad replied with a slight laugh. "It just takes her a little longer than it takes other people."

"He means two-armed people," I added. I noticed Brady's brow furrow, but I ignored him and marched into the kitchen. "What do you need me to get done?" I asked. Judith looked unconvinced, but nodded towards the potatoes that needed to be washed. I suppose her fear over my capability was why she made me wash vegetables for the rest of the afternoon. Even when she asked me to put something into a pot, she watched me warily, like she was afraid that I was going to splash the boiling water on myself. She sure as hell wasn't letting me near a knife. I whispered as much to my dad when he came in to check on me. Judith was busying herself with her cake, which gave us the chance to talk.

"She would know that you manage just fine in the kitchen if you would have come back here sooner," he pointed out. "Instead, you hid at home like a baby."

"It's amazing how _not_ funny you're being," I growled at him.

"It's amazing how much you sound like your mother," he replied. My shoulders slumped like they always did when he talked about her and I quickly looked away. Judith had caught the end of our conversation, her eyes growing suspiciously misty. "Maybe you and I should make dinner tonight, Roxie. To say thank you to the Blackstones for letting us be here."

"We're happy to have you here," Judith promised.

"At least let us make you dinner. Roxie makes a mean fajita bar," he bragged.

"Dad," I warned. I hated when he started talking about me. I didn't deserve it, in my opinion. I learned how to be good at the things that I could still do. I didn't like showing them off, though. The skills that I had acquired weren't so that I could show them off, but rather so I could prove to myself that I there were things I could still do.

"She's being modest, I promise," Dad pressed forward. "The two of us can go shopping after lunch and get all the stuff that we need." He smiled at me reassuringly. Judith nodded, though you could see her hesitation. "This way you can show the Blackstones that you're not a cripple," he murmured.

"You're forgetting that I _am_ a cripple," I muttered back. He glared at me in the way that told me to stop talking. I rolled my eyes and turned away, meeting Brady's gaze as I did.

"I could go with you guys," he suggested. "That way you guys can another person to carry groceries." Dad's eyes darkened to a dangerous level. I snorted and turned away from the two of them. Dad must have continued glaring at him though, because I heard Brady gasp suddenly. "I didn't mean to say that you couldn't or that you needed - -"

"Dad, quit scaring the poor boy," I laughed, unable to help myself. "Brady, don't mind him. He's just a little overprotective." I glared at my father, daring him to say something that he shouldn't. "Why do you have to do that?" I hissed.

"He shouldn't have said it," he retorted just as quietly.

"You're being a jackass, Dad. It's already weird to them with the stub."

"Will you quit calling your arm that?"

"It's not an arm. I would think that after six years you would get this." I noticed then that Judith as staring at us, bent closer together, whisper-yelling at each other. The argument was not unusual for the two of us. Any time that we had company over and it was _hinted_ that I only had one arm, he went a little over the edge. "Just because you don't like being reminded of it doesn't mean that it's not reality, Dad. It's been six years. The reality hasn't changed."

I strode away from him then, leaving him and the Blackstones in the kitchen. I didn't like our reality any more than he did, but it was a reality. It was the truth that I had to live with. I didn't have to let people in or trust them not to hurt me. "Brady and I will go shopping," I announced, grabbing my father's wallet from his bag of stuff. "Dad, I'm taking your card."

"Roxie," he began slowly. He was on the verge of apologizing and I knew it. I just didn't want to deal with it at the moment.

"I think we've aired out enough laundry in front of the Blackstones for one day, Dad. Brady, could you help me get to the market?" He looked at me like I was a little crazy but nodded and reached a hand out to me. I wanted to shake my head, to tell him no, but at the moment it was more important for me to get out of the house. I slipped my left hand into his right and let him wrap his fingers about mine. He pulled me closer to him and out the door. "Thank you," I whispered when we were a little ways away from the house. "You could have just said no."

"I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't mean to insinuate that you couldn't, you know, carry groceries," he said.

"Don't worry about it. My dad is just overprotective." I shrugged to make sure he knew that it was okay.

"Why?" he asked. It was a question that I hadn't been expecting.

I looked up to the sky and gently pulled my hand out of his. "After the amputation, a lot of people made fun of me. I mean, not to my face, of course. They made fun of me behind my back, where they thought I wouldn't hear it. Worse than me hearing, though, was Dad hearing. I was his little girl, you know. I _am_ his little girl. It hurts him to think of me getting made fun of. I could deal with it on my own, you know? High school kids are just mean. I think a part of him feels guilty, though. He told the doctors to cut off my arm. A part of him probably feels like he could have done more to save it. But the chance that I would have full use of it," I sighed. "It was just too risky. Trying to keep me and my arm wasn't going to happen. When he hears people talking about it, it just reminds him that he couldn't save all of me."

"He saved the most important part of you," Brady said, his voice reassuring. I shook my head at him. "I don't know what it's like to live with one arm," he admitted after a few more minutes of silence. "But I hope that you'll ask me for help, Roxanne. Should you need it, of course."

"You know, you can call me Roxie. It won't hurt," I said, trying to turn the conversation from its serious tone.

"A nine-year-old girl I knew told me that I was't allowed to call her Roxie because we weren't friends," he said.

"Yeah well, that little girl got cut down to size real quick." Literally cut down to size and put in her place. "And I guess I could stop calling you douche," I added. He laughed at me.

"I don't know; the name kind of fit for a while there," he replied. He took my hand in his and pulled me off the street. "Come on. The store's right here."


	6. Chapter V

**Author's Note: I have done some research for this story, but especially pertaining to this chapter. If anyone has corrections that can be made, please PM me and let me know. I don't want to put something out there that might offend people. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter V**

Brady toted the basket in his hand as we walked down the various aisles. I hadn't wanted to hang out with him very much, regardless of what I'd said. I just didn't want him to blame himself anymore. But now? Now that my father was causing problems at the Blackstones, I didn't want to be there. He was only pointing out what was clearly visible to everyone in the house. So now I wanted to be with Brady. I wanted to walk around the grocery store with him and pretend like I was thinking things through when in reality, I was just trying to avoid going back home.

I normally grabbed a cart because people didn't seem to notice as much when I was pushing a cart instead of carrying a basket. The problem with the basket was that I had to lean down and put the stupid basket down before I could grab anything that weighed more than an apple. With vegetables and some other things, I could pinch the basket between me and the bottom of a shelving unit and put the things in there. It was all about learning how to deal without my arm.

Having Brady carry the basket, though, was kind of nice. I didn't have to put it down and pick it up and maneuver around people. I just reached in and grabbed whatever I needed. Brady always stood back and waited for me. Sometimes I would catch him with a stupid smile on his face, but I didn't say anything. We'd only been back in each other's company for a day. He still didn't know me. Even if he had changed more than I would have ever thought possible, I still didn't know him. I smiled back at him as I returned to his side with the onions in hand.

Someone bumped me from the side, sending me off balance and pitching me to the ground. I dropped the onions, noting the way that they rolled like oval balls. I sent my left arm surging out in front of me to catch myself, allowing my wrist and elbow to catch most of the fall. I came crashing down though, regardless of how well prepared I was. "Roxanne!" Brady shouted from the crowd of people. The guy who had hit me was standing over me now, a look somewhere between amusement and horror. It was funny for someone to fall on the ground, always. It was slapstick; but the humor always ended when people realized that I only had one arm.

I watched Brady shoulder his way through the group, absently kicking an onion out of his way as he strode to my side. Without so much as flinching, and I had seen plenty of people flinch, he grabbed me under both armpits and hauled me to my feet. With a gentleness that I wouldn't have attributed to him, He combed my curls from my face and tucked me into his side. "Are you okay?" he asked. My pride, which normally would have been rearing like a wounded lion, didn't mind Brady asking me the question. I nodded against his shoulder, licking my lips as I did.

"I'm so sorry, Miss," the man apologized immediately. "I didn't see you there." The pain that wasn't there ricocheted through my arm. I winced a little, but quickly turned the grimace into a smile. Brady gave me a weird look, like he knew that I was faking, but, thank God, he didn't say anything.

"It's no problem, sir," I replied. "Accidents happen." I stooped at the waist, mindful of the arm that Brady kept around me, and reached for the onions that had fallen. The man who had knocked into me grabbed the other before I could reach for it.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated for what felt like the millionth time. My face was growing hot, a sure sign that embarrassment was about to set in. I shook my head again and thrust my onion at Brady, who had dropped the basket. "I really didn't see you there."

"Like I said, no harm done. Brady, we should finish our shopping." I looped my hand through the curve of his elbow, trying to gently pull him away before more a scene could be made. The hit hadn't been hard, but if there was one thing that I had learned through only having one arm it was that our bodies were designed for balance. We spent years in our youth figuring out where our balance lie. I, unfortunately, had had part of the system taken away. When I wasn't prepared, bumps or hits like the one I just took threw me off balance without a hope of recovering. "Let's go get some tortillas."

I made a move to get us through the few people that were left, but before I could, Brady stopped me switched our positions. My stub of an arm was pressed tightly against his ribcage, unnoticeable unless you happened to ask yourself where the rest of my arm was. I jerked my gaze up to his face, waiting for his look of disgust. Instead, he winked at me and started shouldering his way through the bodies, pausing only long enough to bend down and grab his abandoned basket.

It was kind of ironic. If my father had done the same thing and dropped everything to pick me up off the ground, I would have been mortified. But with Brady... I was still embarrassed, mostly that I had fallen flat on my face. Mostly, I just felt like someone cared. Really cared about me for a change instead of the fact that I only had one arm. We were almost out of the group, me caught up in my own little thoughts, when someone hissed, "Worthless cripple."

It wasn't the worst name that I had ever been called. In fact, it was one that I heard a lot. Usually it was from guys who had returned home from war without little more than a scratch on them while their friends had been hacked to pieces. I understood; it was a guilt thing. Instead of admitting that they were lucky, they felt guilty and became hateful and mean. So I did what I always did and rolled my eyes, prepared to turn away from him completely.

In the split second that it had taken me to decide that the conversation wasn't worth my time, Brady had shoved himself away from me and hooked a meaty fist around the man's collar. "What the fuck did you say, Redtree?" he growled, more beast than man now. "Huh?" he added. The people that had disbursed after I'd assured the man I was okay were suddenly back, staring openly now.

"Brady," I warned. I had never really liked to be the center of attention. Even when I was a gymnast, winning medals wasn't about the public recognition, but about the proof of my abilities. The pain that had subsided while I was focused on making sure people believed I was okay came back with a vengeance, then. "Brady," I repeated a little louder, knowing I wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. I stepped up to his side and slid my hand up over the juncture of his bicep and tricep. I had never considered myself a _small _girl. I was somewhat short, only five-foot-four. But I had always been of a stocky build with broad shoulders and hips. After gymnastics ended, I gained curves that I hadn't thought I would ever have. Standing next to Brady though, I was down right tiny. He was well over six foot with shoulders that could fit two of me. "He's not worth it, Brady."

He finally looked down at me with that same thoughtful gleam in his eyes. Then he shoved the asshole out of his hands and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side so that my stub was once again hidden. "I don't know what the fuck your problem is, Redtree, but you say shit like that again, and you'll regret it," he growled then. I shuddered, though it was more from the pain than the fear of Brady's words. I let him gather the basket again, turning my face into his chest to hide my grimace of pain. We were all the way over in the canned soup aisle when he stopped me and turned me to face him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I ground out.

"Please tell me. I'm only trying to help." I took a deep breath, wishing that it would just stop and I could move on. "Please, Roxanne." How was I supposed to say no to that?

"It's a ghost pain," I managed. "Like phantom limb." He furrowed his brows and cocked his head to the side, his hand smoothing the jacket fabric over the stub.

"I thought that was only after the limb was removed," he said. I watching his fingers play along my armless sleeve and felt the pain ebb away. He wasn't showing fear or disgust.

"That's what I thought too," I replied, my breath coming a little easier. "The doctors say it differs from person to person. Pretty much, if it doesn't stop or lessen for you after about six months, it is what it is." He kept rubbing over the stub of my arm, reminding me that it was there, not the whole arm. "It's doing better now," I admitted. He didn't stop. "No one's ever done that before," I added. I nodded to his hand so that he wouldn't think I was headless. I'd had doctors and nurses and kids touch my stub, but I had never felt such comfort in it before.

His smile was wide and brighter than the sun as he moved me towards the beans in the aisle. "Glad I could be of service," he chuckled.


	7. Chapter VI

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy! Please see my profile for important information. Love & Thanks!**

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**Chapter VI:****_ Brady's Point of View_**

I kept Roxanne tucked into my side whenever she would let me. The longer we were there, the more I noticed that people stared when she was standing on her own. It wasn't noticeable at first. I watched countless people do double takes when the passed her by. The second that she grabbed whatever it was that she needed, I pulled her right back against me. She didn't seem to at all upset by the fact that I was holding her, which I assumed was a good thing. I had heard every moment of her argument with her father. I knew that she didn't like it when people assumed she needed help.

So I bit my tongue constantly and tried not to stare at her as she struggled to hold more things that her hands than she should be able to. "You know, I was thinking," I began when we were walking home, a few paper bags swinging from my hands as we walked, "about everything that happened with your dad." She nodded at me, bracing her hand against my chest to push herself away from me. I let her go, since she had been more than cooperative the entire trip. "If you want, Roxanne, I could take you with me to my friends this weekend. I mean, not like overnight or anything. But I spend the majority of the day there with the guys. Their girlfriends and wives are there, too. You know, so you wouldn't be alone or anything."

She smiled at me, just the ghost of the smiles that I had seen when we were kids. Back then, those smiles hadn't been directed at me, but they had always been warm and bright. I wondered if she ever smiled like that anymore. I wondered if she had been able fully recover. I mean, health wise she looked like she was okay. With the exception of the obvious lack of an arm, she looked great. But I could only imagine that her psyche had taken a hit from losing her mother and her arm. I wanted to be the one that brought that real smile back to her. "If you want," I added, hoping that I was heading in the right direction. "Or you and I could just hang out if you don't want to be with a whole bunch of people. I get it either way."

Something flashed in her eyes before she blushed and looked down at the ground that we were walking on. "Maybe I could be with you and your friends tomorrow and you and I can hang out on Sunday," she suggested then, her cheeks hinting at pink. I couldn't stop the smile from blooming across my cheeks. I nodded eagerly, thinking that any chance that I would have to spend time with my imprint would be for the better.

I couldn't say for sure if the accident that she'd had humbled her, if she'd always been this way and I'd just been blind, or if, like me, she'd just grown up. But this girl that was standing beside was nothing like the Roxanne Potts that I remembered. She still wasn't shy, but I was learning that I liked that. She didn't laugh or smile nearly as much as I remembered her doing, but the rare half-smiles that she gave were precious now. She didn't seem as stubborn as I remembered, either. I could see that there were parts of her that were missing, parts of her that I found myself missing.

I wanted to be there for her, to get to know her. I wanted to make up for all the years that I had been so mean to her. She didn't deserve my treatment of her. I didn't know if it was the imprint or if it was just the me that I had become that felt guilty. I suppose that there was a part of me that truly felt guilty, but I would have to attribute my desire to reconcile with her to the imprint. My wolf wouldn't rest until I was on better terms with her. "I'd like that," I finally said in response to her earlier statement. "Could I help you with dinner tonight?"I added.

She dipped her head to touch her chin to her chest and nodded. I beamed at her again, smiling even brighter than I had earlier. She wasn't hard to please, I was learning. There were several things that I had learned in the hours that she had been at my house. The most important of which was that she didn't like to be treated differently because of her amputation. She brushed by people, rolled her eyes when Redtree made his comment. I wouldn't know that she thought of herself as anything but a person until she'd made that comment to her father about being a cripple.

"Roxie!" Mr. Potts called from the front porch. "Where have you been? You've been gone for an hour." He looked worried, terrified for a moment that something had happened to her. Apparently she wasn't the only one who'd suffered after the accident. She rolled her eyes again, looking like a teenager instead of a twenty-year-old woman. "Roxanne, so long as you live under my roof you will answer me. Stop acting like a spoiled brat and answer me. What took you two so long?"

"We got caught up in an orgy off the side of the road," she replied smoothly. Her tone was as if she was answering the question normally. I stopped walking, my breath hitching in my throat. "You wouldn't believe all the things you would do with a zucchini," she added, waving the vegetable that she held in her hands. "And to think that I was hesitant to by zucchini for fajitas."

She reached around me and grabbed hold of one of the bags in my hand, prying it from my suddenly frozen fingers. Her father was glaring at me over the top of her head as she sauntered by her father and into the house. I licked my suddenly dry lips and swallowed hard, hoping to moisten some of the dust that had formed in my throat. "She's, uh," I cleared my throat now, hoping that I would be able to get the words out before her father found one of my dad's shotguns and put a bullet through my chest, "she's got quite a sense of humor." I gently squeezed myself between Mr. Potts and the doorframe, lifting the bags over both our heads and shimmied my way into the kitchen.

Roxanne had already placed her bag on the counter and was working to unpack the groceries. She placed everything that needed to be in the fridge in it, whistling a happy tune to herself. "I hope you're happy," I hissed at her. She turned bright eyes towards me, laughter brimming in then. It wasn't nearly as happy as I had seen her before, but it was happier than she'd been throughout the day. "Your father is going to kill me in my sleep tonight."

"No he's not," she chuckled. "He's just being as ornery as ever. He treats me like I'm still the fourteen-year-old girl figuring out how to manage with just one arm." She placed the flank steak in the fridge and pulled my mother's largest ceramic bowl out. She placed it on the counter and grabbed a spoon before hopping up. "We didn't each lunch," she said, flashing the spoon in her hand to reveal two. "Did you want some?" I hopped up on the countertop next to her and dug my spoon in, taking a large mouthful of food. "I guess that we don't need bowls."

She dug her spoon in right alongside me. "I'll finish it after you're full," I promised her. She took another bite and nodded slowly. I waited until she was contentedly eating for a few minutes and seemed to be relaxed to ask, "Was it hard?"

"What? Getting the bowl out of the fridge?" She shrugged and shoveled another bite into her mouth. "Nah; it was a little heavier than I was expecting."

"No, not that. I know that you can do anything you want, Roxanne. I meant was it hard to learn to do things with one arm?" She shrugged again and took a few more bites of salad before launching herself off the counter and placing the spoon in the sink.

"There were parts of it that were easier than others," she admitted. "Figuring how to type with on hand was easy enough, but it takes a while. Honestly, the hardest thing to figure out was how to get dressed every morning with just one hand. There are a lot of things that I didn't know I used two hands for until I lost the other one."

I nodded slowly, wondering how I could ever learn what it felt like for her. "Why don't you have one of those fake arms?" I asked, remembering about all the new technology that I'd heard about.

"There's not enough of my arm left," she whispered. "I have one. The doctors thought that all I wanted was something that looked real. 'You can get the nails done too,' they'd said. But I didn't want looks or nail polish or any of that stuff. I wanted something that I could use to continue gymnastics." She turned back to the fridge then, stooping to grab the two-liter from its depths. "I guess you could say that _that_ was the hardest part. I worked so hard to be the best, to keep my scholarships, and with a few hacks, it was all gone."

My brows furrowed as I looked at her, watching her struggle to open the bottle. The soda hadn't been opened and I could see her having trouble to get the right leverage to twist the top off. I had thought that her parents just paid for her gymnastics. She was their only child, after all. "What scholarship?"

She laughed, her head tossed back with her dark. "You really don't know anything about me, do you?"


	8. Chapter VII

**Author's Note: I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry. I had assumed that I was going to have WiFi and time and I had neither of them. Please don't hate me. Here's the next chapter! Love you all, Enjoy!**

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**Chapter VII**

He looked at me like I had told him that he was a bad dog. I frowned at the expression. "I just meant that I thought you knew about my scholarships," I muttered. "I worked my ass off for that scholarship. They didn't even wait to see if there was something that I could do with just one arm. I mean, obviously I couldn't ever compete in the uneven bars. I doubt that vault would be easy either. But I could have tried floor; I could have worked beam. There were things that I could have done that no one let me try. When they found out, they replaced me."

He was silent for a few moments. I watched him eat the rest of the potato salad with gusto, stuffing his mouth to the brim before swallowing. "I always thought that your parents paid for your gymnastics stuff. I mean, you were there all the time; I just assumed you were trying to prove to them that their investment was worth it," he said. He dropped his spoon into the bowl and dropped off the counter, though it wasn't very far for him. He carried the bowl in one hand, treating it like it was nothing more than cardboard. "You want to know something?" he asked. I nodded, still not looking up at him. "When you said that I didn't know you, I thought that you were being stupid." My anger flared. "I thought that you were being cliche, you know, just saying the words. I didn't realize how right you were."

"I don't know you any better, Brady." We were young and stupid. We thought that we were doing the best by ignoring each other, by being mean and cruel. We thought that we were taking control of our futures when all we were really doing was hurting each other. And our parents. Our mothers had wanted this so badly and we'd been so selfish. "You can't blame yourself if we were both mean." He shrugged though, the quietest that I had seen him.

"What time are you wanting to start dinner?" he asked then. I shrugged, not really sure. "Mom normally finishes dinner at like six or six thirty. So you should start cooking at like...five?" I nodded, though five was probably far too early. "Well, how about we take Tim to the beach? The water is pretty warm, since it's early summer. Tim doesn't get to go very often," he said. I could feel the anxiety welling up in my chest. I had nothing against swimming. In fact, I rather enjoyed it. I had brought my swimsuit, but my lack of limb became apparent when I was wearing a swimsuit. Having a rash guard on didn't help either. I had one long, tan arm that poked out of one sleeve and nothing coming the other. "If you want, of course. I mean, I'll still take Tim. But I thought that it might be a little fun for all of us. Especially since you scared the crap out of him earlier."

Before I had consciously made the decision to do so, I found myself nodding to him. His face lightened immediately. He eagerly shouted for his little brother. The little boy came fumbling down the stairs, his eyes wide with anticipation. Brady wasted no time in explaining that we were going to the beach. Tim bounced up and down with excitement and rushed back up the stairs to change ad get his toys that he wanted to bring. How was I supposed to back out now? It was a _public_ beach.

I tried to act tough, to pretend like nothing phased me, but the truth was that I didn't like being the center of attention. I told myself to buck up, to be strong. Weakness was only real when it was perceived by your enemies. Unfortunately, my enemies were most of humanity. It was all those people who looked at me, who pitied me. I didn't need it from anyone. I wouldn't take it from anyone. Kids were the easiest to deal with. Kids, regardless of their situation, were always able to move on with their lives. In my not-so-expert opinion, it was how kids that grew up in bad homes dealt with their lives. Stuff may change and it may not be easy, but children accepted the norm and moved on. It was the same with my arm. They accepted that I had one arm and moved on.

Which was what made it difficult to find a way to tell Tim and Brady that I wasn't going to be able to go with them. Before I could fully formulate the sentences that would get me out of it, Tim came jogging downstairs, his towel dragging on the ground behind him. "Come on, Roxie," he demanded. "We gonna go swimming." The sweet innocence of a child who didn't know what it felt like to be stared at for something that was beyond your control. God, how I wished that I could have it again.

"Yeah, Roxie," Brady replied, mocking his little brother's tone, "go get your swimsuit on. It's not often the water is warm enough in La Push to swim."

Judith and my father rounded the corner. Judith's eyes were red rimmed, like she'd been crying. My dad's eyes were glassy, suppressed tears shining in their depths. I could only assume that they were talking about my mother. It was one of the few subjects that could make my father cry. Well, that and when someone brought up the fact that his decision had left me malformed for the rest of my life. "Where are you three going?" Judith asked, looking between Tim and me, ignoring Brady.

"Mama, we's gonna go build a sandcastle. Brady convinced Roxie to go to the beach and swim with us," Tim announced proudly.

"Well doesn't that sound like an adventure," Judith replied. I didn't miss the startled gaze that she shot me, though. Like she was worried about my abilities, I supposed. I could understand. If my son was going to go swimming with a one armed girl that I hadn't seen swim since she had _both_ arms, I might be a little worried as well.

"You're not going, Roxanne," my father declared. The indignant teenager in me couldn't stand being told what to do _again_. I glared him straight in the eyes, my anger burning. His own eyes narrowed, daring me to tell him no. "You forgot to grab your rash guard out of the dryer, sweetheart," he added a little gentler. I knew what he was on about, though. My father was forever worried about what the comments people made would do to my psyche if I kept putting myself out there for their ridicule.

But I wasn't going to allow my life to stop because my mom's had. I wasn't going to allow my life to fall to pieces because I didn't have two hands to get everything back together with. I was in school, I was studying. I was going to graduate with or without his help. And ridicule was just something that I was going to have to get used to. It wasn't going to end simply because I got a degree and made something of myself. If anything, that would only make it a little worse. Becoming accomplished in the world would but me more in the public eye, putting me out there for more people to take notice of.

Without saying a single word, I strode to my bag and grabbed my bikini from the side pocket and marched upstairs. If he thought that he was going to control me forever, he was wrong. I was twenty-years-old. The truth was that I was only living with him for _his_ sanity. His obsessive need to make sure that I was okay was the only thing that locked me in that house still. I was going to get out, though. I was going to make it better. I was going to make it _on my own._

I pulled my jean shorts up over my bathing suit bottoms, deftly closing them before I turned my attention to my top. I had begged my father for this top, regardless of the challenges that it posed. I was determined that I would make it work. Any other _normal_ teenager would have been allowed to have a suit that tied in the back. My father usually double knotted the ties to keep them from having to be redone, but when they went through the wash, it always came undone.

I was facing the wall, trying to get the two strings to wrap around each other tight enough that I could go downstairs and ask Judith or my father to tie them. "Need some help?"

His deep voice startled me and sent my left arm to my chest, pinning down the flimsy fabric to my breasts. "What are you doing? Get out!" I screamed. He chuckled.

"Relax, I can't see anything," he replied. "You were taking a little while so I came to check up on you. You left the door open. Do you need some help?" he repeated. I thought about calling for my father and asking him, but he would only be angry at Brady for walking in and me for leaving the door open. Best to accept the help of someone that wasn't going to yell at me. So I nodded, keeping my chest in the corner of the walls and using my hand to make sure my suit covered me properly.

Brady's hands grasped at the strings, his fingers just barely grazing my ticklish sides as he pulled them back into place. He tied the knot swiftly, even doubling it without my request. "There," he declared. "We should get going before Tim decides that he's had enough waiting." The tingles of his fingers leaving my body shuddered through me, flooding me with emotions that I wasn't quite ready to handle. I grabbed my tank top, the cold air rushing over my cropped limb as I walked out.

This was either going to be fun or terrifying. I just couldn't decide which.


	9. Chapter VIII

**Author's Note: I know that there were no chapters yesterday. I needed a day to recover from a rather stressful weekend. Sorry, but I'm getting back on schedule now and we'll hopefully be able to move forward. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter VIII**

Brady didn't say anything to me when we were walking. He turned his full attention to Tim, who was chatting away and making plans for our time at the beach. Brady tucked me against his side, protecting me from scrutiny as we passed numerous people on the way. The water was in sight, the sand begging for us to make a mess. We were only moments away when someone called out, "Brady." He tugged both me and his little brother to a stop, his hand sliding down my back and his other hand gripping Tim's shoulder lightly. He steered us towards the man who had called out, a half smile on his lips.

"Hey Jake," he replied easily. "Where you four headed?" I looked at the boy that he was talking to, taking note for the first time that he was holding two little ones by the hand while another little girl walked at his side, her neck bent back so that she could look up at him. The boy didn't look nearly old enough to have three young children. Of course, the doubts I had were removed as soon as one of the little ones holding his hand looked up and called him _dada_.

"We were thinking about heading to the beach, but I don't think the three of them are going to make it," he said lovingly. He reached over and patted the girl's head. "Sarah might make it, but the boys are getting tired." The toddlers in his arms seemed barely old enough to be walking, so I could understand where they would be too tired. The little girl ducked her head, obviously unhappy with the fact that her visit to the beach would have to be cut short. She pressed her lips in a tight line, in an expression that seemed to make her father smile.

"Why don't you come with us, Sarah?" Brady suggested. I looked up at him in surprise. "Timmy's been wanting to have a play date with you. You can hang out with your brother and Emmy until your dad says it's time for them to go, then you can come and hang out with us." The little girls countenance brightened, her joy radiating through her face. She nodded eagerly and bounced forward to wrap her arms about Brady's waist. He stepped away from me and eagerly caught her in a hug.

Brady set her down again and smiled at her, but her eyes were locked on something else entirely. She narrowed her eyes a little and started to stare at me. "Why don't you have an arm?" she asked innocently enough. An animalistic noise rumbled from Brady's chest, anger spewing from him. On nothing more than instinct, I reached out and patted his forearm reassuringly. Tim stepped forward, his head coming up to the bottom of my ribs. He waved a hand towards Sarah, motioning her to step forward. She came easily enough, leaning forward so that Tim could whisper in her ear.

Brady and Jake both barked at laugh at whatever was whispered between the pair. Sarah's tan little hand slapped over her mouth. Jake bent down to scooped the two little boys into his arms. One of them looked just like him. The other, though still sharing the same native looks, didn't look like he actually belonged to the family. "Will," he addressed his little twin, "you and Emmy go and get messy in the sand," he suggested. "Sarah, go watch the boys. I'll get some ice cream for snack." He lifted one finger to his lip, as if ice cream was a secret.

"No!" the little girl shouted. "No, Daddy; I want carrots," she said, turning her r's into w's. Jake and Brady both barked another laugh. Tim wrapped his hand around Sarah's and took off towards the two younger boys that were wobbling towards. I looked after the two of them for a brief moment, more than a little confused about what had just happened. Finally, I turned my attention back to the tall man in front of me. He was broader and bigger than Brady, his looks older, but still youthful. He was staring at Brady, seeming to have a conversation with him without saying a word.

After a long moment, he stuck his right hand out to me. I didn't put my hand out, not willing to embarrass myself any more. It took him another short while to realize that I couldn't shake his hand with my right like normal people. He stammered an apology and put out his left hand to me. "I'm Jake Black," he said. "And you are?" he prompted after I remained silent for another moment or two.

"Roxanne Potts," I replied. "Roxie." He smiled and nodded, opening his mouth to say something when he noticed that one of the boys was putting something in his mouth. He sprinted away without another word, but I was more than grateful for it. "Well, that wasn't awkward," I breathed, sighing heavily. I turned towards the beach, but Brady grabbed my elbow and turned me back to him.

"I'm really sorry about that," he whispered. "I guess I didn't really think things through."

My heart dropped. There it was. There was the pity. The embarrassment. He had finally realized that I was always going to be a burden on the people that I was around. I was just amazed that it had taken him so long. Nervously, I wrapped my arm around my waist and took a step away from him. "I don't like pity, Brady. I made that clear to you." I took another step away from him, the water beckoning. Water was good. I could swim with just one arm just as well as people with two. Water was one of the few areas that life hadn't really changed.

"I'm not pitying you, Roxanne," he said, confusion taking over his face. "It's not pity if I want you to be comfortable." I swallowed the tears that were threatening and latched onto the anger instead.

"You still don't get it, do you?" I asked him. His brows crawled closer to each other. "My life will _always_ be uncomfortable. It's been six years and not a day goes by that I don't want my arm back. But I don't have the time to sit here and wish for another arm or try to figure out how to grow another one. My life will forever and for always be uncomfortable. And people like you, who pity me in your own backwards way, who hide behind good morals and a kind heart, you hurt the worst of all. Because you think that you're helping me when all you're doing is prolonging the inevitable."

"Turns out you're not so different from the girl that you were," he growled at me. I'm sure that the statement was supposed to sting, but it didn't. I barely felt the barb for the shield I kept up around my heart. "You just don't want to admit that someone could be able to help you."

"I don't need your help, Brady. I don't need your protection. I don't need your care. I don't need _anything_ from you." The tears wouldn't be swallowed this time. "I should go and hang out with you brother. After all, that's the reason that I'm here." I turned and walked as slowly as I could to the water. Tim didn't really need me. He was playing happily with Sarah in the sand and Jake was there to make sure that they played together nicely.

I struggled out of my tank top, feeling like I was being stupid idiot who couldn't even get out of her own clothes. I stopped where Tim had dropped our stuff and tugged my shorts off as well, kicking off my shoes and heading out to the water. I just wanted to disappear. One day with Brady and I had done the _one_ thing that I didn't want to do. I had allowed myself to start trusting again. I had allowed myself to believe that there could be _someone _in the world over the age of nine who wasn't going to treat me like a cripple.

The water was almost frigid around my legs and I plunged headlong into the water. Heedless of the current, heedless of any risk that could exist. I needed the waves to swallow me whole, to keep my silent tears a secret. To keep me safe from myself. I dove under the iciness and kicked, letting the waves tug my hair and the cold sting my face. There was no real reason to cry. I just needed to harden my heart one more time, make sure that I was going to be safe.

When I finally came up for air again, I could hear Brady shouting my name. I was still too close to shore. I needed to get away. I needed to be free again. I needed to lock my heart away one more time.

And I had thought that we were going to have fun.

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**Don't get mad at Roxie! Things will get better real soon, I promise. All women have a stubborn streak. Besides, we all know what happens when you bottle things up!**


	10. Chapter IX

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter, all. Please bare with me while I get back in the swing of things! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter IX**

These waters had been so familiar to me when I was a little kid but I had never gone out this far. As a child I was too concerned with annoying Brady and not nearly a good enough swimmer to brave the currents. Now, all I needed was to get away. I wanted to be somewhere safe somewhere where people couldn't stare, where there wouldn't be pity. So I kept swimming. I went farther and farther until the rocks that jutted from the depths of the sea became fewer and fewer; until I couldn't hear anyone shouting for me.

If there was one thing that I really didn't like about having one arm it was how tiring things got. People get tired swimming too long with two arms. I could swim for long periods of time... In a pool without a real current. I rarely swam in open waters and as my energy started flagging, I realized why. The current was dragging my legs an undertow that I couldn't figure out how to fight. I struggled my arm swinging wildly in front of me to keep me afloat while I kicked my legs for all they were worth.

The wind that was whipping around me slowed for a minute, giving e hope for a break. I paused in my motions to take a deep breath, but a moment was all it took. The wind may have broken, but the undertow was going just as strong if not stronger. My leg was pulled out from under me, as if I had been standing and someone pulled my ankle away. I was dragged under the water, my single hand grasping for whatever it could. I felt the skin of my palm split open, regardless of the rough calluses that were there.

I swallowed the water, the bitter salt filling my mouth as it flooded my mouth. My head smacked down against rocks that I hadn't thought were there. The water must have been deeper than I thought or the rocks were just lower than the other ones. Everything seemed to go in slow motion then. I heard, more than felt my skull crack against the bottom of the ocean. I saw the red fade to pink as it started to swirl in the water around me. This was what my temper got me. Bleeding in water where no one would find me.

Brady was right; I was still the same girl that I had been. Losing my arm had taught me nothing about controlling my temper. I still got angry, I still ran away. Nothing had really changed about me. Apparently losing my mother wasn't enough. Now it was my turn to lose my life. It was only what I deserved. My only real regret would be that my father had to lose another person, one that I wouldn't be there to help him through. That was a rotten thing for a daughter to do if ever one existed.

With renewed vigor, I tried to get to the surface. I couldn't leave my father. It would only hurt him. After losing Mom the way he did I wasn't certain if he could stand losing another one of us like that. So I kicked and struggled and tried to force my way to the air that I knew was somewhere. But the current had taken me and rattled my brain. I had no idea where I was, let alone which way would get me to the oxygen I needed. I heard my head smack again but I was growing numb. I still couldn't feel anything, only the chill of the water around me. Black spot appeared in my vision, the blurry water growing dimmer and dimmer.

Then I was being burned, a searing heat that wrapped about my waist. Faster than I was expecting, I was rocketing through the water. I had no idea where I was heading, only that the water was rushing by my ears. "You had better wake up," a voice growled in y ear. "I suck at this shit. Less than a day, and you're already almost dead." There was a chill around me, but it was quickly replaced with more of that blinding heat. "Roxanne, please," it begged. My first thought was that it was my father. But it was too warm, unless he'd found some blanket or another to wrap me in. "Tim, hand me one of those towels," the voice barked. The warmth was less than whatever had been wrapped around me before. It was almost rough, the way that it scraped against my skin to dry the moisture there. A few more rubs and a different texture touched my face. It was still rough, but more like calluses than fabric. "Roxanne, you have to wake up. Come on."

I felt like a fish out of water. I could tell that I was being hauled up into a sitting position; I could even feel the grains of sand scraping my backside through the thinness of my swimsuit. But for the life of me, I couldn't get my eyes to open. The searing flame rubbed in circles on my back, boiling the water in my lungs from the outside. I could feel icy wetness dribbling down my chin. "Come Roxanne, you have to breathe. You have to, you stubborn witch," the voice commanded, rather rudely, I might add.

I coughed, my throat feeling like it was being scraped raw. "Good girl," it praised like I was some kind of dog. My pride flared at that, demanded that I was more than just a dog. "Come on, Roxanne, give me a deep breath. Yell at me, for Christ's sakes. You are far too stubborn to let something like water kill you." It had to be Brady. There was no one else in the world that would insult me like that, though I didn't think these really counted as insults. Not when he was undoubtedly holding me tight to his chest. Not when his hand was tenderly stroking my hair.

"You just enjoy making life a little more difficult don't you?" he asked then, his hand still pressing lightly into my hair.

"I don't like pity," I croaked by way of explanation.

He chuckled, though the sound was dark and not in the least bit happy. He was tense, like he had just been given the scare of his life. "I can tell," he replied tightly. A warm, circle of heat pressed against my scalp, sending emotions rolling through me. My body reacted to what my brain did not know. "You scared the shit out of me," he continued. "I thought you were sitting on the rocks. God, what made you think that you could swim out that far?"

"Because I have one arm, I can't swim?" I demanded, though my voice sounded like someone had struck my throat in a blender.

"I'd be saying that no matter who it was, Roxanne," he assured me. "No body, two armed or no limbed, swims out that far. There's no where to stop and rest. Anyone would have gotten tired," he said, brushing my hair away from my face. "God, look at that cut. If your father hadn't been set on killing me before, he's going to be now." I tried for a smile, but it hurt my face to move. "You're lucky that's not deeper. Any farther over and it could have killed you. Losing you," he started, but dropped off like it wasn't important it.

"Losing me what?" I tried to tease. "It would only make your life easier, right?"

"No, Roxanne. Trust me what I say that losing you wouldn't help me in the slightest," he sighed. "Besides that," he continued, though he hadn't said anything to add to, "I'm responsible for you. I told your father that I would take care of you. You were my responsibility and you almost died." He would feel guilty because he couldn't keep his promise to my father. Of course he would. "We should get you home. The cut in your head isn't very deep."

"One about the one in my hand?" I asked. I was so cozy in this spot between arm and chest. I felt drowsy suddenly, my head falling limply against his chest. Surely the boy could carry me home. After all, it was _partially_ his fault that I had gone out in the water.

"Don't fall asleep, Roxanne. You hit your head. I can't let you fall asleep just yet. Okay? We have to make sure that you're okay," he said. "What cut in your hand are you talking about?" he asked then, reached over my body and gripped my hand. "IT's deeper than I would like, but still nothing to worry about," he assured me, his fingers running over the open seam of flesh.

"When did you become a doctor?" I teased.

"I've seen my fair share of injuries in the last few years," he replied. "We should get you home. Tim's going to stay with Jake and his kids. Come on." he may have said it, but there was nothing I could do. He scooped me against his chest and help me tight. "I think our parents went drinking, so unfortunately, you're stuck with me," he laughed.

"I don't know how I'll survive," I teased.

I pried my eyes open to look at him. He was staring down at me, his eyes not teasing in the slightest as he said, "Don't worry; I'll protect."


	11. Chapter X

**Author's Note: I wouldn't say that this chapter is ****_mature_**** but it's not quite as innocent as the other chapters. Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter X:****_ Brady's Point of View_**

The second that she ran out into the water, I started to tell myself that I didn't care what happened to her. I told myself that I did't give a shit one way or another. She could die, she could live. It didn't matter to me. "You should probably go after her," Jake said when I walked over to where he was playing with the kids. I shook my head and grabbed the pail to get some said for sand castles. "Okay, you're new to this whole imprint thing, so I'll clue you in. When they run, we chase. Whether they're right or wrong, we go after them. You don't have to talk to her. Hell, she doesn't even have to know that you're there. But you go so that you can make sure she's okay."

"How do you know she's my imprint?" I retorted. Jake just leveled me with one of those fatherly looks he'd mastered as Alpha. "Besides, Roxanne's been taking good enough care of herself for the past six years. I don't think that she needs my help." She'd made it perfectly clear that she didn't want or need anything from me. "I'm going to get some wet sand," I announced then. I found myself staring out into the waves while I stooped to shovel the sand into the bucket. I at least needed to know where she was so that I could tell her when we were leaving. I was done with excuses, but I wasn't cruel. I wouldn't just leave her here.

I saw her dark head bobbing farther out than I would have liked, but what did it mean to me. She was just another girl and she was no different from the girl she was when she was a child. I looked down to add enough water to the sand mixture to make it useful to the kids in their architectural adventures. A final check on her and then I would be done. Just to know where she was.

Her head wasn't bobbing in the distance. In fact, I couldn't see her at all. The fact tat I didn't care stopped nothing. I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted her name, but got nothing in response. I continued to watch, but I couldn't find her anywhere. "Roxanne!" I screamed again, but there was nothing. "God damn it," I muttered, dropping the pail to the ground and stripping out of my shirt. The water was cold, but definitely warmer than it would have been in the winter or even the spring.

I swam out to where I had last see her swimming, but couldn't find her there. I dove under, fatigue starting to drag on me. Which meant that any normal human would be beyond exhausted. She would have been dragged under by the strong undercurrent. She would have been too tired to fight. Opening my eyes underwater burned, but I didn't allow it to stop me. Against the blurry blue of my vision, I saw her black hair swirling in the water. I rushed forward until my fingers came in contact with her soft skin.

I gripped her around the waist and dragged her towards the surface and then the shore. I needed to get her out of the water; I needed to get her warm. "You had better wake up," I warned her. Her lips were faintly blue, her hair plastered against her cheeks and forehead. Jake was right; I should have gone after her. "I suck at this shit. Less than a day and you're already almost dead." I trudged up the sand now, hurrying to where our things were laid out. She hadn't even moved yet. Her skin was like ice, almost as cold as a vampire. "Roxanne, please," I begged her.

"What happened to Roxie?" Tim asked as he came upon the two of us huddled in the sand, Roxanne, tight to my chest. Jake held PJ in his arms and rested a hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"Tim, hand me one of those towels," I replied instead. He scurried to do what I asked, handing me the biggest one that there was. I settled Roxanne more in my lap so that I could wrap it around her petite frame. I chafed the fabric against her skin, hoping to warm her a little more. I dried her face, taking care of her lips and the delicate bridge of her nose. I couldn't stop myself from brushing my thumb over her cheekbones. Everything about her said fragility and dainty, but when she spoke, her entire personality_ screamed_ strength. "Roxanne, you have to wake up," I informed her. "Come on."

"_This_ is why we run after them," Jake said. I rolled my eyes at him. "Sit her up. She probably swallowed some water. She won't be breathing until you get that out." I nodded, feeling like I should slap myself for my stupidity. I hauled her so that her limbless side was pressed against my chest, bracing her against my arm while I rubbed slow, steady circles on her back. Water dribbled out of her mouth, proof that I was doing the right thing. "Come on, Roxanne; you have to breathe." There was nothing but more dripping water. "You have to, you stubborn witch," I commanded them.

She jerked in my arms and coughed hard, some water expelling with her air. "Good girl," I muttered, scrubbing at her back again. "Come on, Roxanne, give me a deep breath." She just kept coughing, though, more water coming with each gasp. "Yell at me, for Christ's sakes." I didn't care what she said as long as she said something. "You are far too stubborn to let something like water kill you." "You just enjoying making my life more difficult don't you?" I asked her. I shook my head and took her home, actually grateful that our parents weren't home. The last thing that I needed was for her father to see her like this.

Her tremors had been relatively small when I'd first pulled her out of the water. The smell of her blood was starting to go to my head, driving me crazy. This shouldn't have happened to her. She shouldn't know this kind of pain, not any more than she already had. My mouth opened, words that I never consciously thought about saying flooding my brain and escape my mouth. The good news was that promising to protect had brought her a little comfort. "Let's get you in the shower, okay? A hot shower will get you nice and warm," I suggested as I kicked the front door open.

I brought her to the bathroom that sat between the two guest bedrooms, the one that she and her father would share. I helped her stand, watching her lean shakily over the sink. "I'm going to make some soup and some hot chocolate. Does that sound good?" I asked her. She didn't answer, though her teeth chattered audibly. "Roxanne, get undressed and take a nice warm shower. When you've got some sweatpants and a shirt on, come downstairs, okay?" She nodded and I turned to leave her.

But when I tilted my head to look back and make sure she was okay, I saw only her shaking fingers fumbling with the ties of her swimsuit bottoms. I swallowed my groan and turned back towards her. "I know that you don't need it, but let me help you," I said quietly. "That way, we can get you warmer faster." She nodded jerkily again. I let my fingers trail up her spine for the double knot between her shoulder blades and then the one at her neck that I had secured only an hour ago. She shivered again, but I hoped that it wasn't from cold this time.

I explored the curve of her waist and slope of her hips before reaching for the ties at her hips. When they fell away, I couldn't stop myself from groaning. With only one arm to try and cover her naked self, I caught flashes of her exposed breasts and core in the mirror for only a brief second. Then the trembling girl in front of me spun herself around so that she was pressed against my still bare chest. Electricity zinged between us, humming through my body as she held herself against me to keep herself from being exposed.

I was practically purring with pleasure as I slid my hands against her back to hold her steady. "You didn't see anything, right?" she stuttered. I shook my head, knowing that I was lying, but worrying about her reaction if I told the truth. "Good," she managed again, her tremors lessening slightly with my arms wrapped around her. "That's good." The rusty pink of her lips beckoned, promising warmth and softness. Promising forever. But I hated Roxanne; I had hated her since I was a little kid. I didn't care what happened to her. The imprint was wrong. "I should get in the shower," she said quietly, still naked in front of me.

Except that I did care what happened to her. And I didn't hate her. God, I didn't hate her. I knew a lot about her, or at least the person that I thought she was. I just had to figure out more about the person that she'd become. I couldn't stop myself. Her curves were too tempting, her lips too soft, her beauty incredible. I couldn't stop. I covered the distance between us and pressed my lips to hers.


	12. Chapter XI

**Author's Note: See my profile for the new timetable! Also, NO SUNDAY CHAPTERS from now on. Sorry guys, but I hope six chapters a week will suffice. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XI:****_ Brady's Point of View_**

Even her startled breath didn't check me immediately. Her lips were softer than I thought any woman's could be. The hand that I had been using to hold her steady now splayed her back, feeling the cords of muscles and strain of the tension between us. I told myself to pull away when she wasn't kissing me back. She was cold as stone from the ocean water, but now she was standing still as a statue too. The feel of her lips on mine solidified everything that I was suspecting. She was the one that I'd been waiting for. I could feel it down deep in my bones. It didn't matter that I didn't know everything about her. That would come. But the kind of attraction I had towards her was something I had never felt before. I couldn't scare her from me now. Reluctantly, I began to prepare myself to pull away from her. I couldn't risk her pushing away in fear.

As if she felt me distancing myself, her arm snaked around my neck. The mouth that had been so frozen against mine before, began to heat up. She moved her mouth against mine slowly, like she wasn't quite sure what she was doing. Fortunately for the both of us, I knew exactly what I was doing. I pulled her even closer, gently sucking her bottom lip into my mouth. She gasped, as I'd been hoping, opening her entire mouth to me. She went slack in my arms as I traced the outline of her lip with my tongue. She wasn't even trying, like she'd been shyly doing early. No, now she was just hanging like a rag doll in my arms. I wanted to ask her to kiss me back, but was afraid that the words might remind her of the present.

So I set out to teach her, to show her how to kiss me back. I started by gently parting her mouth even more, coaxing her tongue out of her mouth. She did so easily enough, her hand grasping at the nape of my neck with a kind of desperation that sent my blood to boiling. It seemed to snap her out of her daze. Still timid and she, but more confident than before, she kissed me back with everything a guy could dream about. I slid my hand a little lower, moving from her shoulder blades to her waist.

I snapped us apart before _I_ snapped what little control I had over my body. "I, uh, I should get your food started," I whispered to her. Her lips were trembling, stained dark from our kiss. She bowed her head and pressed herself tighter to my chest. "I'll close my eyes, so that you can, uh, get yourself into the shower." She nodded again, but kept her breasts pressed tight against my chest. "One, two, three," I counted, slamming my eyes shut so that I wouldn't even be tempted to open them.

In a rush, Roxanne was gone, having stepped into the shower and drawn the curtain closed. "I'll be downstairs," I called, just barely loud enough to be heard over the water rushing over her. "Just holler if you need anything." She didn't respond, but I knew that she heard me. I backed out of the bathroom as quickly as I could, while still being polite. Then I sprinted down the stairs and into the kitchen. "If Collin hadn't needed some 'alone time' with Spence, this shit wouldn't be happening," I grumbled,sinking down onto one of Mom's barstools.

"Sounds serious," a voice replied. I spun around to find Jared standing in front of me. He held his hands up in surrender. "Jake sent me over. Said you had a nice time at the beach and might need someone to talk to for a few minutes." He popped himself up on the counter, his legs dangling in front of him. "So you've got an imprint. How's that going for you?" he asked politely. I could hear the humor in his voice. I was the last one to imprint, the las tof all the guys to find their soulmate. I was going to be razzed for the rest of my life.

"I kissed her," I admitted.

"I would say way to go, but you haven't told me yet who she is," he replied easily.

"Remember when I told you guys that my parents were big into tradition?" He nodded. "They tried to set me up on an arranged marriage with my mom's best friend's daughter. We were stuck together every summer, all summer and any weekend that they could. Roxanne and I hated each other. The last time that I saw her, I pissed her off. She was a gymnast and she was _ripped_. I used to tease her about it. She got mad and left with her parents. They were in an accident. And her mom died and she... Roxanne lost her arm."

"Well that'll be something new," he said simply. "So I guess way to go for kissing her."

"Did you miss the part of this conversation where I said that she hates me?"

"She can't hate you; she's your imprint. And you're not dead, which means that kissing her didn't kill you either."

"I don't know what to do here," I admitted. I liked kissing her more than I should have. And I shouldn't have kissed her after everything that happened in this one day. "She's different from the other girls that I've dated."

"They usually are. I mean, all of have the perfect girl in mind and the imprints we get are never what we expect. Look at Kim for me."

"Kim is the only one who could put up with you, Jared," I teased. I stood up and grabbed the can of chicken broth and a pouch of tortellinis from the fridge. I didn't have green onion, like my mother taught me, but this would be better than nothing. And still something warm to eat.

"Now we know that. But back then, I wanted the pretty beach blonde with the perfect rack who would know all the right things to say. Kim is way more beautiful than anyone I could have pictured myself with. Our imprints are never who we think they are going to be, but they're always who we want deep down."

"Brady?" The voice was barely more than speaking tone, but shot straight through my heart.

"Look, Brady, she's going to be different from every other girl that you've dated. It's the reality. You want to know her that she's the one that you want, then you ave to prove it to her. Don't push her, but show her that you want her," he advised. "Now go get your girl. And I expect to be meeting her soon." He winked and ducked out of the house.

"I'm coming, Roxanne," I called up the stairs, taking a deep breath and cataloguing the things that Jared had said. I did want her. I couldn't let her get away from me again. I was a dick back then, but I'd grown up now. I locked the door behind Jared and took the stairs three at a time. "Are you okay?" I asked.

She had the plush towel wrapped around her torso, the tail of it tucked under her right armpit. "I didn't bring any sweatpants. Do you have any that I could wear?" she asked shyly. There really wasn't anything to be shy about. When we were younger, she'd always wear my old shirts and sweatpants when her parents forgot stuff from home. Sometimes it seemed like they made us share clothes just so it would be cute.

"Yeah, let me just get some for you," I replied. Thankful that my room was right next door to hers, I walked in and grabbed the first pair of too-small sweatpants for her. "I've got some tortellini soup started. When you're ready, come on downstairs, yeah?" She nodded again, her pink tongue reaching out to moisten her lips. I almost groaned, but caught myself.

"Hey Brady," she called out. "Thank you for coming after me." Before I could say anything, she marched behind the dressing screen that my mother had put there for looks. Unfortunately for me, it was still functional. "I know that you were just trying to help me earlier. I just," she took a deep breath. "I've had enough of people pitying me for one lifetime."

"I really wasn't trying to do that," I whispered. "I'm sorry if it came across that way. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I haven't told ay of my friends that you were back or that you'd lost your arm. Jake just didn't know how to handle it." She emerged from the dressing screen in my sweatpants, the fabric of the crotch hanging far lower than her anatomical crotch. Her camisole clung to every curve of her body and cupped her ample cleavage. "It's not," I swallowed hard against the flash of desire. "It's not pity when someone honestly cares about your comfort," I said.

Her hair tumbled down of her shoulders and chest. She was trying to drive me mad. Whether she knew it or not, she was trying to drive me mad. "I'm kind of hungry," she whispered. "We should, uh, we should go get food, right?"

I flashed a brief smile at her to try and reassure her before walking down the stairs. She proceeded me, making it a little harder for me to focus. "It's not pity when someone cares," I muttered to myself. "And damn, Roxanne, I care."


	13. Chapter XII

**Author's Note: I know I'm late. I'm a little out of it today; sorry about that. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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Chapter XII

I shouldn't have kissed him. I shouldn't have let him hold me like that. I'd been naked, pressed against his bare chest. It had felt so good chest to chest with him. I'd liked the way that he'd held me, the simplicity of his arms wrapped tight around me. What's more than that: he'd actually desired me. I could feel it in the way that he held me, in the way that he'd kissed me. I hadn't thought that any guy would ever want me. What man could ever want a woman, mangled and crippled and armless?

Hell, I hadn't ever been kissed. I lost my arm at fourteen. Do you have any idea what that does to your self-perception? I went through high school knowing that I would never get to be on the cheer squad. I would never get to have gymnastics back. I would never get my arm back. I would never get my mother back. I would have nothing. And I would most certainly never have a boyfriend or a date. The boys in high school had made that abundantly clear to me. The pranks, the prom, the pain, all of it had shown me that.

And then there was Brady. Brady, who defied all my expectations. Brady who held me close and kissed me like I was the air he needed to breathe. He kissed me like a man who wanted something from me. At least, that's what I thought he was doing. I'd never been kissed before. The closest that I'd ever come was that night at the Winter Formal, before I'd had the life embarrassed out of me. Brady was different than that. He'd kissed me and then left me alone, like he wanted nothing more from me. He'd even explained that he wasn't pitying me. He was caring.

At least, I think that's what he was trying to say. He had said that it wasn't pity that he was trying to give me and then said that it wasn't pity if you cared about someone. What did that feel like not to have someone pity me? I cleared my head and suggested that we head downstairs, for food. Where there were more windows and more people who could walk in and see us. I was getting myself into dangerous territory and doing so with Brady Blackstone would be fatal. I could feel it.

Dinner went well enough, though. The tortellini soup was basic, but delicious. Brady toasted some French bread in the oven with butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese on it. I used it to soak up the broth, stuffing my mouth just so that I wouldn't have a reason to talk, to say something stupid. To ask him to kiss me again. "This is delicious," I said when the majority of it was gone. I looked up at him for the first time since thanking him for the bowl in front of me.

"It's not as good as my mom's, but it does in a pinch," he replied. His gaze was fixed on me, his head cocked to the side. "Are you warmer?" I nodded eagerly. "Now, after almost dying, are you sure that you want to hang out with me tomorrow?" he teased. I ducked my head and nodded. "Yeah, that seems real sure," he laughed now. There was a warmth to his eyes that I didn't know how to react to. He was…happy, or so it seemed. Which was strange, considering that we'd never really gotten along before.

"It wasn't your fault that I got caught in the undertow," I said. The best way for us to be able to be friends was if I could admit when I was wrong; if I could show him that I wasn't the person that I used to be. "I got angry and acted rashly." He didn't say anything, which was kind of a surprise. Brady was already ready with some kind of comeback. "So, what were you thinking that we could do tomorrow?" I asked politely. He swallowed hard, a groan reverberating in his throat. "Are you okay?" I asked when the pained expression didn't disappear. "We don't have to hang out."

"No, no; I want to hang out. Sorry," he breathed. "I was thinking that you might want to hang out with the Pack tomorrow."

"The _Pack_?" I repeated.

He may have cursed for a brief moment, but I couldn't be sure. "Yeah, my friends and I were kind of dubbed 'the Pack.' It's kind of an inside joke. You'll get it…eventually," he promised. I waved a hand at him like I didn't really care. "Anyways, the guys all have sitters tomorrow night, so we're planning on having a big bonfire."

"Your friends all have kids?"

"Yeah…let's just say that they were all really lucky and met their soulmates early," he replied after a brief pause. I frowned. There was no such thing as a soulmate, of that I was sure. Why would you ever tie yourself to someone like that? They'd only be painfully ripped away from you at the end of it all. "What? You don't believe in true love?" Brady asked in a joking tone.

"No," I admitted. "I don't." He frowned at that. "Thanks for dinner. I'm getting kind of tired. I think I'll go up and take a little nap," I muttered. His lower lip was full and tinged a natural brown. God he had gotten handsome over the years. I mean, he'd always been a good looking kid, but in his age, he'd gotten taller, stronger, broader, more muscular. "I'll be down in a little bit."

"Sleep well," he said quietly. I paused at the staircase to look back at him. He was gathering up the dishes and humming mindlessly to himself. God he was driving me crazy. I marched up the stairs and straight into my bed, flinging the door shut. I needed to call Cooper, to talk to him. He would make this better. He would explain to me what I was feeling. I clutched my phone to my chest and flopped myself down on the bed.

I waited barely three rings before I decided to get impatient. "Come on, Coop, pick up," I begged him. I rolled myself onto my back and pillowed my head on the stupid pillow that was supposed to help me sleep.

_"Dear God, you've only been gone a day. Did you kill him already?"_ That was Cooper for you. Funny, blunt, and never half as cool as he thought he was. _"I told you, Roxie, I can't help you hide the body until Sunday."_

"Nice to see your sense of humor is still intact," I muttered. "Coop, I did something bad," I added immediately afterwards. I could practically see him cocking his head to the side.

_"What'd you do? I told you not to kill him. I gave you all those pills to calm you down and the squeeze-ball-thing. We really got to work on that temper of yours,"_ he added. _"Come on, out with it. What'd you do?"_

"I kissed him." There was an audible gasp on the other side. "Well, I should say that he kissed me. But I let him, so I guess that's just as bad." I groaned. "I don't know what I was thinking Cooper. Hell, I didn't even know what I was doing."

_"Was it good?"_

"I have nothing to compare it to, Coop."

_"I'll kiss him and then we can compare notes, how's that?"_

"You're _really_ not being helpful today," I scathed. He laughed on the other end. "Besides, Coop, I don't think you guys bat for the same time."

_"Is he like us?"_

"You know he's not," I growled in reply.

_"Then I don't know what the big deal is, Roxie. We made a promise. Neither of us was going to find a man if he wasn't like us. The other ones don't understand."_

"Cooper, I know I promised and you know I love you. It wasn't like I meant for it to happen. He just…he just kissed me, Coop." I paused to give him a chance to say something, but he remained silent. "Come on, at least say you'll forgive me? It wasn't like I intended on kissing him when I left this weekend," I pleaded.

_"No, you intended on killing him if I remember correctly,"_ he laughed. _"It's not a big deal. I'll just go find some random guy on the street to kiss and we'll call it even shall we?"_ I smiled and giggled into the phone. _"Besides the fact that used kissed the Wicked Blackstone child, how was it?"_

"Amazing," I allowed myself to admit. "You know, he doesn't seem to mind that much about it."

_"Keep your head in the game, Roxanne. I have listened to you complain about Brady Blackstone for almost four years now. You don't get to kiss the boy and then decide that my four years of hatred for him was unnecessary."_

"I forgot that this was all about you, Cooper Tyler," I laughed.

_"It's always about me, sweetie. I don't know how you forget that."_ I giggled again. _"I have to get going. But don't lose it over one kiss, Rox. You're worth more than that. I love you."_

"Love you, too. See you Sunday," I replied, flipping the phone shut and slamming myself against the pillows. "Stupid gay best friend. Always knows the right thing to say."


	14. Chapter XIII

**Author's Note: Okay, all, here's the next chapter. I'm kind of anxious to see your guys' reactions so if you wouldn't mind reviewing and letting me know what you think I'd appreciate that. Enjoy!**

**Chapter XIII**

My conversation with Cooper put me to rights for the night. I took my bra off, hanging it off the post at the foot of the bed and laid myself down to sleep for an hour or two. I felt weary, like it had been the most emotionally stressful day that I'd ever experienced in my life. I allowed myself to go to sleep, to curl on my limbless side and dream about being an Olympic gold medalist with two arms and a score on the uneven bars. I let reality slip and happiness take its place in the dark.

"Roxanne," the voice called. My first thought was that it couldn't be real; that it couldn't be happening again. "Roxanne, I know that you're awake. You forget what I am and what I know," he said quietly. His voice was smooth like satin, but it terrified me nonetheless. "If you don't open your eyes, you're going to find out just how persuasive I can be." I opened my eyes like he asked and shoved myself upright. God, how I wanted all of this to be a dream. I wanted it to be a bad nightmare. I wanted it gone.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "You promised me that you would leave me alone." The man standing in front of me was ethnically African. I knew that much. But from the time that I had met him, his skin had always looked dusted over by the some kind of powder. His eyes were always red, like a firetruck gleaming in the sunlight. "How did you find me?" I asked then. I had only told Cooper where I was going.

"I told you, Roxanne, I'm not like you," he said. He stepped closer to my bed. "I've heard rumors of this place, though I never thought that I would find myself coming here. What is it that brought you here, Roxanne?" he asked me then. My lower lip trembled, my greatest desire to call for my dad. The stranger thing was that I felt Brady's name bubbling in my throat. "Oh, I agree, don't answer me. I told you, you were going to owe me a favor for sparing your lives."

"You killed my _mother_," I hissed. "You killed her. I would have said anything to get away from you and keep my father. You need to leave," I said, getting out of bed and opening the bedroom door.

Brady burst in then, his arms shaking a million miles a minute. "Oh, look, there's a dog here. I thought I was smelling mutt, but I've never really _smelled _it before." I looked over at Brady with confusion, but at least I knew that I could trust him to some degree. "Roxanne, dear, I'm afraid I'll have to cut our visit short, but I will make good on that favor, my dear. Make no mistake," he said. He winked out me and disappeared in a movement that I couldn't see. The curtains billowed in a breeze that didn't exist.

"Are you okay?" Brady asked. He rushed to me. I felt his hands wrap around both of my shoulders and draw me tight to him. I rested my head against his chest, overwhelmed by the sense of peace that enveloped me. I had never felt this safe after meeting with the vampire. God, how I liked this feeling. "Roxanne," Brady breathed. "Please answer me. Are you hurt?" I shook my head, my skin brushing against his skin. "Why was there a vampire in your room?"

I jerked away from him then. "You know what he is?" I begged him. I knew that there was hope in my eyes because it was practically burning my heart. I wanted someone else to understand. I couldn't tell anyone, the vampire had made that clear to me. If I said a word, my father would die. He was the only family that I had left. It was precisely that which begged me to make the bargain with him to start with. "How do you know what he is?" I whispered.

"_You_ know what he is?" he retorted. I nodded demurely. "Please, Roxanne, I need to know. Tell me, please. I can't help you if you can't tell me." I was trembling, the memory of what I'd done about to overtake me. I knew that it would. I knew it would hurt, too. "Sh, Roxanne," he soothed, his hand running up and down my back. "It's going to be okay. I'm going to protect you. I promise." I could almost feel the belief in my chest. "But you have to tell me what you know, Roxanne. What was he talking about? You owe him a favor?" I nodded. "What kind of a favor?" he asked.

"We should find somewhere to sit," I replied. He nodded, but didn't let go of me. Tucked carefully into his side, he led me down the stairs and outside. The backyard was just as I remembered it, the chains of the swings creaking with the wind. There was the bench swing, the one that our parents used to make us share when we were younger. He didn't let me go when we got there, though. He sat down and gently pulled me into his lap as well.

"God, when I think of what could have happened to you," Brady began, his trembling increasing. It had never really _stilled_ but having me closer seemed to lessen it. "How do you know about vampires, Roxanne? What has he done to you?"

"He's never hurt me, physically," I admitted. "There's a part of my story that I haven't told you, Brady. I've never told anyone." I paused to shift myself more comfortably, my stub of an arm uncomfortable with its spot against his chest. "He said that he'd kill my dad if I ever told, Brady. I can't lose my father; he's the only person that I have left. I can't lose him," I said. I was repeating it again and and again. He hushed me again, pulling me closer.

"You're not going to lose him," he promised me. "I'll make sure that your father is safe, but I can't do that unless I know what happened."

"I lied when I said that my mother died. My father was unconscious when I opened my eyes again," I began. "When I woke up, my mother was screaming. She was begging for my father, but he wouldn't wake up. I tried to move, but my arm was stuck. That's the _real_ reason that they had to cut off my arm. I had basically severed it myself trying to get to my mother." His eyes went wide and a growl built in his throat. "By the time that we were found, it was true that the tissue had died."

"What happened to your mother, Roxanne?" he asked quietly, rocking the swing a little more. It was like those rocking chairs, handmade and home-built, that my mother used to sing to me on.

"He was eating her, draining her blood," I whispered. "She was screaming and crying talking about the burning pain that was taking her. I tried to get away from where I was. I tried so hard. I could hear her crying. She kept calling out for my dad. She cried out for me. I couldn't get to her. And it didn't take too long for it to stop, though. She was dead. The coroner's report said that she was mauled by an animal. And then he started coming after my dad.

"I had just watched my mother be eaten alive. I couldn't let him kill my father. So I sold my soul to the devil," I admitted. "I told him that I would do anything if he would just let us live. He didn't even have to get us out of there. He could leave us there to die. I just didn't want to watch another person die in front of my eyes. I begged and pleaded and sobbed pulling and tugging at my arm until it was torn in two. And then," I paused, long enough to inhale another shuddering breath and try to stop the tears from falling, "and then he slit my wrist. He said that he would bite me, but then he'd have to kill me. He said that he needed my blood, though. That he wanted to taste me." Brady shuddered underneath me. "Ultimately, he thought that I might be useful to him. At least, he'd hoped. He let the two of us live. Every so often, he visits. He comes to see me and reminds me that I'm his. If I don't do what he says when he calls for his favor, he'll kill everything that I care about, Brady. I don't know what he'll ask me to do and I really don't care what he asks me to do. I have to protect my family," I whispered. "Me against the world."

"No, Roxanne," he whispered. "You're not alone in this." I felt his mouth press against my hair. Shocked as I was, it felt good. "I'm not going to let him hurt you. I promise."

"How can you promise that?" I asked, feeling comfort and happiness that I had never known drape over me like my mother's afghan in the wintertime.

"You'll see," he whispered.


	15. Chapter XIV

**Author's Note: Sorry that there was no chapter yesterday. I spent the better part of the day throwing up and sleeping. Really sorry, but here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XIV:****_ Brady's Point of View_**

I was startled awake by the stench of vampire wafting through the air. It was too close, in my house. I threw the thin sheet back and rushed out of bed. I sniffed cautiously, trying to figure out where the monster was and what he was doing in my house. The stank wasn't very far off. Right next door. My heart thudded in my chest at the thought of a leech near my imprint. I kicked her door open, glad that it hadn't shattered into a million pieces. "Oh look, there's a dog here. I thought I was smelling mutt, but I've never really _smelled _it before," the parasite laughed.

Roxanne's terrified eyes met mine, confusion lingering at the top. "Roxanne, dear, I'm afraid I'll have to cut our visit short." This thing knew my imprint? No; it couldn't be possible. "But I will make good on that favor, my dear. Make no mistake." He was gone, disaster left in his wake. Roxanne was staring at the window, fear and tears mingling in her eyes. Whatever I was afraid of was nothing compared to her fear at seeing this monster again. She began shaking, her lip trembling even as she tucked it between her teeth to keep it steady.

"Are you okay?" I muttered, drawing her to me. I was beyond shocked when her body relaxed against mine. She didn't say anything, just let me hold her. I breathed in the pineapple smell of her. "Roxane, please answer me," I begged her after a few moments. "Are you hurt?" She shook her head, her silky hair brushing against my skin as well. "Why was there a vampire in your room?" I muttered to myself. She pulled back to look up at me, our height difference becoming glaringly apparent to me.

"You know what he is?" she whispered. So began the most enlightening night of my life. She had met the vampire before; several times. "I sold my soul to the devil. I told him that I would do anything if he would just let us live," she said. "He didn't even have to get us out of there. He could leave us there to die. I just didn't want to watch another person die in front of my eyes." I couldn't imagine the pain that she'd been going through. She had tried to tear her arm from her body to save her family. "I begged and pleaded and sobbed, pulling and tugging at my arm until it was torn in two. And then...and then he slit my wrist. He said that he would bite me." I growled. "But then he'd have to kill me. He said that he needed my blood though. That he wanted to taste me."

It was a miracle that she'd survived. The question now remained: what did that vampire want from her? There was no reason to keep her living. He could have just killed her and then gotten to her father. "Ultimately, he thought that I might be useful to him. At least, he'd hoped. He let the two of us live. And every so often, he visits." I don't think she realized that she was trembling as she told her story, or that she was leaning back against me. "He comes to see me and reminds me that I'm his. If I don't do what he says when he calls for his favor, he'll kill everything that I care about, Brady. I don't know what he'll ask me to do," she admitted. "And I really don't care what he asks me to do. I have to protect my family." She smiled sadly at her lap. "Me against the world."

"No, Roxanne," I promised her. "You're not in this alone. I'm not going to let him hurt you. I promise.

"How can you promise that?" she muttered.

"You'll see," I replied, not willing to stress her out anymore than I already had. I rocked the swing a little more. She melted against me, pliant and soft. It wasn't more than a moment later that I heard her sigh heavily, her heartbeat slow, and her breathing even out. Her face had dried tear tracks crusted on it. Her eyes were red and swollen, her lips falling open to take deep breaths. She was exhausted, I could see it written on her face. I allowed myself a few more minutes to hold her close before rising off the swing and heading back int the house. If I'd had my way, I would have gotten in the bed beside her and eld her close through the rest of the night. But that would be strange to her, seeing as she didn't know anything about how I was starting to feel.

So I laid her down in the bed, with every intention of covering her to her chin and leaving her be. But her hand gripped mine ferociously when I tried to let her go. She rolled, my hand still caught between her fingers, until she had her cheek pillowed in my palm, her hand finally releasing me. I could gently lift her head and take my hand away. But she was happy, curled in a tight ball with the blanket tucked around her. I laid down in bed beside her, tucking my knees behind hers. She breathed a sigh of relief and curled into me, wiggling herself back into me. I wouldn't rest very long, but I could enjoy holding her for a moment or two.

The sun was peeking over the trees, glaring through the window. I groaned softly and lifted my head. Roxanne's eyes were closed, her dark lashes flirting with freckles that I didn't even know she had. I lifted my hand from her waist and cupped her head in my hand. Cautiously, I slid my left arm from beneath her head. She grumbled in her sleep and struggled to grab her pillow instead. She curled it under head and fell back to sleep almost instantly. I couldn't resist kissing her cheek. Of course, it was worth it when a smile touched her lips.

I left her there and headed towards Jake's. He was the Alpha. I ducked out of the room and into the forest, dashing through trees quickly and quietly until Ryanne and Jake's ever-growing little shack came into view. "What are you doing here?" Ryanne grumbled when I knocked on the door. "It's barely six in the morning."

"I need to talk to Jake about... about imprint stuff," I admitted. Ryanne snorted, pulling the bucket from the porch. I took it from her and followed her towards the well.

"You want to talk about _imprint_ stuff and you thought going to Jake was the right answer?" she chuckled. "Sounds like you've had the toughest go of everybody when it comes to imprints, though. Yours almost drowned on the first day."

"And then let me kiss her," I replied.

"Ooh, that's a new twist in things. So who is she?" I explained to Ryanne about our past, about what Roxanne had been through. "And now she's sleeping in your house," she muttered.

"And she has some deal with a vampire." Ryanne stopped in her tracks and turned back to the house, leaving me to draw the water. It wasn't a moment later that Jake appeared in her place, his stride strong and steady, his head cocked to the side.

"What's this I hear about an imprint with a deal with a vamp?" he asked. So I explained the story just as Roxanne had told me. "What does the thing want from her?" Jake asked then. "It doesn't make any sense. He's immortal. He can do whatever he wants. Why make a deal with a human to spare two lives? Some after-life compassion or something?"

"I have no idea," I admitted. "He said that he was going to ask her for a favor and that he'd make it known to her. She has no idea what it is. She has no idea what it's going to be. She only knows that if she doesn't do what he asks, then he's going to kill her father." I slumped down against the stone wall of the well, resting the back of my head against its coolness. "I don't know what to do here, Jake. She knows about vampires so in theory it should be easy for her to accept wolves. But, what if -"

"What if she's mad that no one was there to save her that day? That none of us saw her tearing her arm off; that no one heard her screaming?" I nodded. "The best that I can tell you is that you have to tell her. She needs to know that someone can protect her, someway, somehow. It may seem silly, Brady, but she's still a girl. Girls, even the strongest of them, like to know that someone can take care of them. Take Ryanne, for example," he continued. "She doesn't have a single fear about knocking out the guy in the octagon, but she'd rather have me protect her any day of the week."

"So I have to tell her?" I muttered more to myself than to anyone else. Jake nodded anyways.

"You have to tell her and then we have to do what we always do: save the imprints."


	16. Chapter XV

**Author's Note: Okay, all here's today's chapter. I hope you all enjoy! Please feel free to leave me a review and let me know what you think. Happy Reading!**

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**Chapter XV**

After telling Brady everything, the entire horrid and all the things that I'd done to ensure my father's safety, I woke feeling lighter. Someone knew my story. Whether he could protect me, like he promised, or not, there was still someone who knew about my story. I stretched in bed, my arm raised over my head and looked at the slanted ceiling with a smile. It felt so unbelievably good to have someone know that I'd signed my soul to a devil with ruby red eyes. Hell, even Cooper didn't know that. Speak of the gay man!

I pulled my phone from the bedside table and texted Cooper. _I think I like him_, I sent simply. I shoved myself upright now, blinking the blurriness away from my contact lenses. "Roxie?" I jumped at the sound of my father's voice, pulling my sheets up around my waist. "We didn't see you last night at dinner. Brady said that swimming tired you out," he said. I nodded, hearing the reproach in his voice. "What were you thinking, Roxanne? Do you think that you need to prove that you're just like everyone else?" I rolled my eyes and looked away from him.

"Dad, I just got a little over excited about being out in the water. Brady was there to make sure nothing happened," I said, deciding that it was best to keep Brady in my father's good graces. Despite my better judgement, I was starting to like to boy. "I'll make dinner tonight. No, wait, tomorrow night. Brady's taking me to some beach bonfire with his friends," I corrected. My father's eyes darkened considerably. "What?" I practically whined. "You wanted me to come out here and enjoy myself. I'm trying, Dad. Is there a problem with me hanging out with Brady?"

"What if you lose your balance, huh? You fall into the fire and then what?"

My brain told me to be nice to my father. It screamed at me that he was just being overprotective, but my anger at the pity and fear in his voice wouldn't be silenced. "I have been an amputee for six years," I seethed, "and I've figured things out pretty well thus far. I'm twenty years old, Dad. You don't make the rules anymore. And if you're going to keep restricting me like this, then I'm going to go live with Cooper," I threatened.

"You wouldn't dare," he retorted.

"Why? Because two cripples in a house together wouldn't be able to make it work?" I snapped. "I mean, he's only got one leg, but I think it'll be okay. He can do all the tasks that require two arms and I'll do all those that require two legs." He opened his mouth to gape at me. "Not that it really matters, since Coop finally got his prosthetic. He looks normal to the rest of the world." I jumped out of the bed and began fumbling with the clasp of the bra that I'd tossed on the ground before going to sleep. "You're my father, not a police officer. Have fun with the adults tonight."

I waltzed into the bathroom without another word, still struggling with the stupid clasp. They told me that things would get easier after a few months, but it wasn't true. Each new bra brought a new set of struggles while I tried to figure it out. Finally, I got it figured out and dropped the thing onto the counter. Using my chin and hand, I pulled my shirt down over my breasts and let it rest against the slope of my hips while I dressed. I had only just pulled the cotton tank back into place when the three knocks sounded at the door. "Roxanne, are you in there?" Brady asked. I unlocked and opened the door, thinking it only necessary to thank him for being with me the previous night. I probably wouldn't have slept at all if it hadn't been for him. "What'd you do to your dad?" he asked immediately. "He's in quite a mood." His fingers reached out and grasped the strap of my bra. I hadn't even noticed that it had fallen until he was tugging it back up.

"He and I got in an argument," I admitted. "Don't worry about it. He'll get over it later tonight." He narrowed his eyes but nodded. He took a step out of the bathroom and extended his hand to me. "What?" He only closed and opened his hand, prompting me to take it. "I don't get grab breakfast or coffee or anything?" He threaded our fingers together and led me down the stairs. He grabbed a mug of coffee and a donut in his other hand before taking me outside. "You're scaring me, Brady. What's wrong?"

"This is nothing compared to what you're going to think in a few minutes," he grumbled under his breath. He only dropped my hand when we got to the swing that he'd sat on the night before. "Have a seat. We need to talk about some things," he said. I nodded and did as he asked, accepted the mug from him. I was kind of surprised that he waited to hand me to donut until I had the coffee pinched between my legs. Most people forgot. Only then did he take his spot across from me on the little bench.

The swing set creaked and groaned, but I knew that it would hold us both. "You asked me a question last night," he said quietly, "and I told you that you'd see." I nodded, remembering. "I was worried about stressing you out even more, especially after you'd just told me about your mom. And I didn't know whether I should tell you or not." I frowned at that. "It seemed so soon, since you've only been here a day." I nodded again. "You know the legends, right, Roxanne?" I nodded once again, my eyes narrowed now. I rested my donut against my thigh and grabbed the handle of my mug.

"They're real."

The sentence seemed to hang between the two of us for an eternity while I processed. I tried to tell myself that they couldn't be true. But the truth was that I knew they were. They had to be. They told about Cold Ones with red eyes that drained the blood from people. Vampires. I knew from experience that vampires were real. So why wouldn't Spirit Warriors be real too? I dropped my chin to my left shoulder in a pathetic attempt to hide my face while I thought.

"So the Pack that I'm supposed to be meeting tonight," I whispered slowly, "they're Spirit Warriors?" He nodded, his eyes weary. "You're one of them, aren't you?" Again, he just nodded. I felt frustrated, wanting him to just saying _something_. That must have been how he felt when I wouldn't say anything moments ago. I looked down at the plastic bench beside me, still trying to process. "That's how you know about vampires. You kill them." The thought made my anger bubble in my chest. "Why did you kill him last night?" I hissed. "All of my problems would be solved."

"I was more concerned with you than I was with some vampire," he whispered. "You were my first priority. But we're going to find this time, Roxanne. The promise that I made you yesterday wasn't a joke. We won't let anything happen to you or to your father," he added with more vehemence. "But I thought it was only fair that you knew that truth, Roxanne. There's a lot that I can't tell you. It's too soon for some things. But these are the things I can tell you: I will always be there to protect you. I will never let anything hurt you. And I will never break a promise to you."

I took the donut in my mouth, more to hold it than to eat, while I put the mug down in the grass. I twisted it a little to make sure the earth had the mug's imprint in it. Only then did I settle the donut back on my thigh and look at Brady. "I want to see it," I said stiffly. He barked a laugh.

"The last time you said that, you asked me to show you my boy parts," he chuckled. I couldn't help but laugh at that too. I had crossed both my arms over my chest, demanded to see him unless he wanted me to tell his father about the worms he'd put in his mother's spaghetti sauce. "I can't show you right now," he said. "Our families will want to know where we've gone. But I promise that I will."

"Tonight," I said sternly, "before we go to the bonfire."

His eyes flashed to mine. "You still want to go to the bonfire? You're going to be with wolves, Roxanne?"

"You're not scaring me away that easy," I retorted. "Besides, you still have some explaining to do and I have questions."

He hopped off the swings and stooped to grab the mug. "You never were one to scare too easily," he muttered, placing the mug back between my knees. "Doesn't seem to matter what I do," he added.


	17. Chapter XVI

**Author's Note: Grrrr... I'm late again. Sorry, all. But enjoy the chapter. **

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**Chapter XVI**

My father didn't speak to me the rest of the day, but that was not something that surprised me. Brady and I returned to the house shortly after his admission that the legends were real. "A little morning stroll for the two of you," Judith laughed when we walked in. Brady nodded. "Well, at least you got some breakfast. Brady, go help your father out back." Brady nodded, but he didn't look happy about it. "Roxie dear, would you join me on the front porch?" I nodded, but looked back over my shoulder at Brady. He just shrugged.

I followed her out the front porch, leaving my donut on the counter in the kitchen. Judith sank down onto the porch swing and motioned for me to take a spot beside her. "Your mother and I used to come out here every morning when you guys were here," she began quietly. "She would have been happy to see you and Brady getting along after all this time." I nodded, but only because I knew that she would. My mother had always tried to convince me to give Brady a real chance, but I never would. I never had.

"She loved you, you know," Judith continued. "Even when she was angry at you, she thought that you were the most incredible thing in the world." I smiled wistfully, but wouldn't let the real emotions hit me. "I'm only sorry that we never got to see you compete before the accident." I swallowed hard and lifted my chin a little again. "Your mother was always impressed with you. She said that you were one of the strongest there. You were the only scholarship trainee, right?" I nodded. She looked at me through narrowed eyes, lifting her gaze to meet mine. "Do you miss it?"

It was a question that I always dreaded. The gymnastics magazines that interviewed high schoolers and juniors asked the question all the time in my interviews after I'd recovered. It was the question that I avoided, the question that angered countless journalists when I refused to answer. "Yes; I always miss it," I admitted. "It was a big part of my life for a long time. I worked hard to stay on the team. I wanted to make it to the Olympics." She nodded in understanding. "But things change, every once in a while. This was just another change."

"She would be proud of you, you know," Judith said. "You've been stronger than most people thought that you would." I shrugged. It would be hard to say anything in response to that. "We didn't know about your arm until after everything happened, you know. We wanted to come and see you, but your dad said that you weren't up to seeing people." I hadn't been. I wanted to wallow in my self pity for the rest of my life. Of course, then I'd met Cooper and everything changed. I hadn't realized that there were people around me just like me.

"I wasn't originally," I admitted. "I hated the world because the world had to hate me to take my mom and my arm in the same day. Then I met my support group." I chuckled at the phraseology. "When the doctor's suggested that I go to support groups, I'd been against it, but it wasn't all that bad. The people that were there, they were all like me. It's actually where I met Cooper," I laughed. I remembered the first time that I had met him, when I was staring out the window in the stupid building.

"Your father didn't say that you were dating anyone," Judith began slowly. I looked at her curiously, wondering what could be going on in that head of hers. Did she think that I was going to meet Brady again and fall in love with him? The thought itself was laughable. I'd enjoyed kissing him, but I suppose that I would enjoy anyone kissing me. It was supposed to be a pleasurable experience. Then again, the thought of kissing Cooper made me want to throw myself on the floor and laugh until my side ached.

"I'm not dating anyone," I replied. "Cooper is my best friend. He was on a missions trip in Sudan with his church. He had his leg blown off by a mine on the Sudanese and Chad border. I heard her suck in a startled breath and managed not to laugh. Cooper said that people always reacted that way; I'd just never believed him. "No good deed goes unpunished, right?" I added, hoping to lighten the mood. It clearly didn't work. I looked over to find Judith's eyes misted over with tears. "Anyways," I pressed forward, "Cooper yelled at me for feeling sorry for myself. Long story short, we became best friends."

"Because he yelled at you?"

I did laugh at that. "I guess because he yelled at me. Mostly because he was the first person who treated me like a normal person again. My father tiptoed around me, making sure that I was never unhappy. Everyone pitied me and treated me like a fragile china doll because I didn't have an arm. But not Cooper. He told me to pull my head out of my ass and get over myself. There were plenty of people who would lose limbs in order to have their lives back." I smiled again.

"Mom, Dad is trying to fix the garbage disposal again," Tim tattled. Judith jumped up from her seat, scolding her husband even though he couldn't hear her. I laughed at that, expecting to be alone with my thoughts. "Roxie, who's the man standing over there?" Tim asked. I looked up, fear gripping my throat. The vampire couldn't be back. He said that he had to leave me for a time. Surely a time meant longer than a few hours. I looked in the direction that Tim was pointing, thinking that I should grab the little bugger and hide him.

But the face that I saw was a relief. I nearly sagged when I realized that Cooper Tyler was standing in Brady Blackstone's driveway.

And then I realized that my best friend was standing in Brady's driveway.

I launched myself off the front porch, blazing on bare feet through the dew-damp grass. Cooper caught me around the waist and swung me around, balancing himself on his car. "Someone's excited to see me," he said, leaning down a kissing my cheek. I nestled into his warmth, though it wasn't anything like when I'd been telling Brady my secret. Cooper really wasn't very tall, either. I mean, he was tall by some standard but in comparison to Brady...

"What are you doing here?" I asked him gleefully. I needed to stop comparing him to Brady.

"You sent me a text message this morning that basically screamed _come save me_," he replied, keeping his arms wrapped tight around me. He threaded his fingers together at the base of my spine while I laughed at him.

"Cooper, I said that I think I might like him," I giggled. Cooper had a way of doing that. He made me laugh about anything and everything, taking my mind off of whatever was bothering me.

"I know! Why would you even ask why I'm here? I was worried some aliens abducted you and brainwashed you," he replied seriously. I threw my head back and laughed. "Seriously, Rox, you had me scared for a few minutes there."

"That was all it took for you to drive two hours over here?" I asked him, still chuckling. He nodded.

"Now, are you going to be invite me in this house, or is the dead body hiding in here?"

"It's not my house, Cooper. I can't just go around inviting people into the house," I said with a laugh. He frowned down at me. "Stay in your car or something. I'll go get dressed and then we can go for a walk or something."

"Roxanne!" Brady called. I whirled around and tugged myself out of Cooper's arms. I didn't miss the look that he gave me when I wrapped my arms around myself and stood before him. "Hey, I was just - - Who's this?" he asked, with a stiff glance at Cooper. I felt myself growing shy. Brady didn't give me the chance to give introductions, probably because I looked like a confused mess. No, he shoved a hand out to Cooper without his signature smile. "Brady Blackstone."

"Cooper Tyler," Coop replied. "We're close friends," he added, though he didn't tug me into his side like he normally would. "Met in an amputee support group."

Brady's gaze shot down to Cooper's legs and then back up. Coop didn't give any sign that he saw Brady's shocked look. "I didn't mean to interrupt y'all's weekend. I needed to talk to her about some stuff."

"So you drove down here?" Brady asked.

"Thank God my car's not a stick, right?" Coop laughed. I rolled my eyes. "Actually, Roxie was just suggesting that we take a walk. Maybe you'd like to join us?" My eyes flew to Cooper's, a warning and a threat lurking there. He returned the look. "Since I'm unfamiliar with the area."

"Sure," Brady agreed.


	18. Chapter XVII

**Author's Note: I meant to have chapters up yesterday, but my window was smashed in by a brick (by a wonderful lot of drunk college students) and I ended up needing stitches. No ****_Chivalry is Dead_**** chapter tonight. I'll have ****_Pretending _****up later. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XVII**

I was going to have to kill my best friend. That was all that kept running through my head when I was changing. I pulled on a camisole and a long sleeve shirt to keep me from the wind. Brady said that he would let our parents know that we were leaving and meet us outside. Which gave me a perfect amount of time to go and yell at Cooper. "What are you thinking?" I snarled, using my fingers to stab his chest. "You invited Brady Blackstone to go on a walk with us! Has your brain just stopped functioning?"

"You said that you like him, Roxie. Therefore, I need to get to know him," he replied. "And what better way to do that than to annoy the life out of you while the boy walks with us?" I groaned. "Come on, Roxie, it can't be that bad. We just have to decide whether or not we like him. That's all."

"There is no _we_. This is _my_ nonexistent love-life!" I hissed.

"Then why don't we make it _existent_," Cooper replied. I opened my mouth to shout at him, but he turned towards the house. "Brady!" he called. My shoulders sagged a little. "We should get going. Where we heading?" Brady nodded towards our beach. _The_ beach. It was not ours. I shook my head to clear it and allowed myself to be guided by Cooper's hand on my back. I thought I heard a faint growling, but a quick scan of the forest said that there was nothing. "So what is it you guys do to get into trouble around here?" Cooper asked. I rolled my eyes at him, put allowed it when he tugged me closer. "I mean, beside terrorize my friend here."

"That's _your_ idea of fun," I corrected rudely. "It used to be your's too," I added, knocking an elbow into Brady. He didn't smile like he was hoping that he would. I kind of frowned, but Cooper's fingers pressed against the ticklish skin of my side. "Cooper, what are you doing here?" I asked him, tilting my head back to look up at him. Cooper wasn't very tall, certainly not as tall as Brady. Strange as it was, I kind of liked having to lean all the back to look at him. Cooper cocked his head to the side, an amused expression on his face.

"I was missing my best friend," he said, kissing the top of my head. "I normally spend the weekends with her, but she said she needed to come here instead. So, I thought that since the party had to leave me, I would bring y'all a little party of my own." I shook my head at him. "I'm only here for a few hours, though." He looked down at me with a smile. "I am going to get fitted with a prosthetic for running tonight."

"You don't run," I laughed.

"I'm going to start," he retorted. "Ooh, look! A beach!" With that, he jogged off, leaving me and Brady to ourselves. I didn't miss Cooper's sly wink when he walked away, either. Brady shoved his hands deep in his pockets, rocking back on his heels.

"He's a piece of work," I said, watching my best friend struggle out of his shoes so that he could stand in the water for a little while. "But he's a good guy, underneath it all." Cooper used to joke that he had one less limb than everyone else, but three times as much personality. God only knows what he'd be like if he had all his limbs. At least, that's what he said.

"Yeah; I wouldn't have taken you to be that kind of girlfriend. Or to put up with him like you do," he said with a smile. I practically doubled over with my laughter. I would have tipped over into the sand if it hadn't been for Brady's arm wrapped around my waist. "Are you okay, Roxanne?" he asked, trying to get me to stand upright. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. I was struggling to get full gasps of air while I giggled uncontrollably.

"Brady," I gasped, "Cooper is _not_ my boyfriend. You're more likely to be dating him than I am." The confusion that crossed his face was almost too funny to bear. "Cooper's gay. Like completely, without a doubt in his mind gay." The confusion cleared up and a light that I hadn't seen in his eyes since before our beach adventure yesterday entered them. "We met at a support group for amputees, like Coop said. I was full of self pity, telling myself that no one had it as bad as I did. Cooper made me see how selfish that I was being," I explained.

For the first time since he saw Cooper, he laughed. "Were you jealous, Brady Blackstone?" I asked him. The light dripped from his eyes steadily, replaced with a smoldering twinkle that made me want to kiss him more than I ever had before.

"I wouldn't want to have to give you up to someone else, Roxanne," he said. His tone was teasing, but there was an air of seriousness in his eyes that negated the voice. I frowned a little and looked at him, hoping that tossing my hair over my shoulder would make me see him in a different light. Maybe it would make that alluring sparkle disappear and I would be able to move on with my day. "Why is he so distracted with the water?" Brady asked, looking over at Cooper.

"He was in a desert when he lost his leg," I said. "He always said that his biggest regret was the fact that he never just stood on a beach when he had both legs."

"What happened?" Brady asked.

"That's a story for Cooper to tell. I give the basics usually, but stories like these are normally really personal," I explained. "Cooper's was... Well, let's just say his family has never been the same since then."

"Who's family did you ruin now?" Coop aside, his foot crusted with sand. It slipped off the smooth plastic of his prosthetic.

"Brady was curious about your story," I explained.

"Only if you want to," Brady was quick to insert. "I don't want to pry."

"It's fine; curiosity gets the best of all of us. I can only imagine what I would be like if I was in your position," my best friend replied. He'd always been really open about telling his story. He hoped that he would inspire others to tell theirs, to feel unashamed. And his had the added benefit of teaching people to be open minded. Whether you agree with people or not isn't the question. Cooper was adamant that we weren't supposed to sit and judge one another. "I was in Africa with my family," he began.

"Oh Lord, if we're going to tell your story, we might as well be comfortable where we are," I said, leading them towards the boulder. Coop climbed up first, though I did hold my one hand out in case he tripped. He wasn't always the smartest about where he placed his feet.

Once we were settled, me sandwiched between Brady and Cooper, my friend began again. "My father was a pastor. We went on a mission trip as a family, since my mother couldn't bear it if my dad were to be gone again. Our camp was just west of the Chad and Sudan border. It wasn't a completely terrible family trip. We were helping refugees displaced by the Darfur crisis." Brady nodded. "My father was preaching about honesty, how important it was to be honest with yourself and everyone around you. So I got it in my head that I should be honest with my family, that I should tell them the truth.

"So I told my dad that I was gay." Brady nodded again, like it was the easiest thing in the world to understand. "Nowadays, that seems like a normal statement. But outing yourself to your preaching Dad while you're on mission was a terrible idea. He told me that I was just being tested, that I didn't know what I was saying. That's when he commanded me to go and draw some water from the well. I was so angry with him, I decided to take a different route to the well. And it wasn't safe.

"The Janjaweed, they're the local militia group responsible for a lot of the killings, they had armed the place with mines. I stepped on one," he said. "I was airlifted to a hospital in Sudan when my mom finally found me. I guess my father had told her." I looked down, knowing what was coming next. "My dad said it was just punishment for the things that I'd said, the things that I'd been feeling."

"Seriously?" Brady asked.

Cooper nodded. "My mom left him. He was excommunicated from his church for getting a divorce and having a gay son. My little brother sided with my dad. So it's been me and mom against the world since then. Dad doesn't talk to me anymore. I ruined his life."

"Yeah, well," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "I killed my mom with my temper."

"Brat," Cooper laughed. He shoved me from the boulder, sending me flying into the sand. "Just had to go and ruin my moment." We laughed as he clambered down from the stone. Brady just sat there looking dazed and a little angry.


	19. Chapter XVIII

**Author's Note: Okay, all, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XVIII:****_ Brady's Point of View_**

Her so-called best friend quite literally shoved her off the rock. She laughed and landed solidly. Cooper popped himself off the rock as well, tripping a little on his own landing. What if she had fallen and hurt herself? How was I supposed to make sure that she wasn't hurt while making sure that she didn't feel babied? "Are you okay, Brady?" Roxanne asked. Cooper was hobbling towards the water again. I wondered what my face looked like at that moment. Roxanne's head was cocked to the side, her hair falling over her shoulder.

"Yeah, sorry," I said, shaking my head. I jumped down from the stone as well.

"You were worried I was going to get hurt, weren't you?" she laughed.

"Yeah," I admitted. "And it wasn't pity. It was just concern," I was quick to add. She laughed again and shrugged. I had never seen this side of her before. She was smiling and giggling and acting like she didn't have a care in the world. "I didn't want you to get hurt, that's all." She nodded and smiled and extended a hand to me. I was a little taken aback but ultimately took it.

"I know that you were worried and that's very sweet," she said. It was strange that she didn't seem to care about everything like she had earlier. "But Cooper is always like that with me. It's the only way that we could pretend that we're normal again." I guess I understood, but the thought of her getting hurt was painful to me. "I appreciate the concern though," she added. At least we were getting passed pity and into concern. "And I still want to see the wolf before we go out tonight," she added, bumping into me.

"You know that Cooper can't go with us, right?" I clarified.

"Yeah, I know. Cooper will be out of our hair shortly. He was just worried about a text message that I sent him," she explained.

"Everything okay?" I clarified.

"No, yeah," she was quick to say. I noticed her cheeks start to turn red, a blush that was most alluring flitting over her cheeks. "Everything is fine; Cooper was just overreacting." Yet, the look on her face said that it was more than just a minor overreaction on her best friends part. "Once he's satisfied that I haven't completely lost my mind, he'll be out of our hair," she repeated. Lost her mind, huh? What could be _that_ distressing? "I should go and make sure that he isn't getting himself in some kind of trouble."

She let go of my hand and waltzed over to her best friend. The two of them looked happy standing by the water together. Cooper wrapped his hand around her waist and tugged her into his side. Roxanne melted into his side and leaned her head against his shoulder. I felt a little better knowing that Cooper was apparently nothing more than a friend. His story about his father and the amputation, terrible as it was, soothed me a little as well. At least I knew that he was gay. Otherwise, I might be a little too tempted to think that they were something more. I took a few steps closer to the two of them, feeling bad for eavesdropping but wanting desperately to know what was going on. "He's hot," I heard Cooper say. Roxanne snorted and punched him lightly. "Seriously, I'll arm wrestle you for him."

"Left hand only," she retorted. Cooper laughed.

"I like him," her best friend said. "He seems like a nice guy, although he wasn't very happy when I shoved you." She shrugged. "Oh Lord, not the pity talk again."

"He's already yelled at me about the pity," she said. "It's not pity if someone cares about you." There was a hitch in her best friend's breath that said that he was surprised by her words. "Don't start with me," she added suddenly.

"You're the one who said that you liked him."

"I said that I _might_ like him," she snapped.

"Oh, please, you like him and you know it." I watched his hands poke against her ribs. She giggled and wiggled and tried desperately to get away.

"Okay, okay!" she shouted. "Okay," she repeated quieter. "So I like the boy. Is that really such a bad thing, Cooper? Is it so terrible if I like him? If I like someone that isn't like us?" Cooper laughed back at her and bumped her again.

"No; it's not such a bad thing. I like him. I think he's a good guy underneath it all," Cooper informed her.

"Underneath what?" Roxanne asked, voicing my own question.

"His _I'm Brady Blackstone and I'm cool_ facade," Cooper replied, causing her to roll her eyes. "Although, it's a really hot facade." Roxanne laughed at him. "I was just checking on you, kid. You're the only person I have."

"Oh please, you have your mother," she waved it off.

"I have to get going soon," Cooper announced. "Fun as this is, I actually have to go to the psychiatrist. Unless you want me to go suicidal." She shoved him again. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay, Rox. The two legged ones could be wimps."

"Him having two legs isn't my problem," she said. "I never imagined that I would like someone who had all their limbs, Coop. You know that. I always thought that I would be stuck with the pity and the fear if I found someone who wasn't like us."

"Angry, but I don't think that he's pitying you," Cooper replied. I agreed. "Look, I just came to make sure that he wasn't like old time seducing you or anything."

"He kissed me, not banged me," she chuckled. "Why don't we see if you can stay for lunch? You can head out after that," she suggested.

"Nah; I really should get going," he replied. "Hey Brady!" he shouted, turning back to where I was standing. "Thanks for the walk, but I should really get going."

"You just got here," I called out in return, jogging up to meet the two of them.

"Yeah, but I have a doctor to go see," he said. "It's a little bit of a backwards trip, but I needed to talk to Roxanne before I headed out."

"Well," I said slowly. Roxanne took a step closer to me, away from her best friend. "You're welcome back here any time. If you had time to stay, I would suggest that you stay for lunch."

"Unfortunately, I don't have the time," he said in reply. "I should get going." He headed back the way that we came, his footsteps uneven and strange sounding. "You two stay here. Enjoy yourselves."

Roxanne rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him close. It was a brief hug. She pushed away from him and stepped back to my side after only a brief moment. "So," she said to cover the silence, "you still jealous, Brady Blackstone?"

"I was not jealous," I argued. She laughed and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "I was just surprised to see you acting like that with someone."

"Oh, come on; I think that you were secretly jealous of my gay best friend."

"No, not in the slightest," I replied. She laughed again and sank down in the sand. "Okay, so maybe I was a little jealous," I admitted, sitting down beside her. "I mean, I did think that he was your boyfriend for a few minutes there."

"Why would you care?" she asked quietly. I knew fear for a brief moment. That was a loaded question if even one existed. One word and she could decide that she was done talking to me. "I mean, if I recall correctly, you had more than one opinion about my suitability before."

"Yeah, well that's because I was a stupid kid who didn't want to be told what to do," I explained. She turned her face towards me, a question burning in her eyes. "It wasn't you that I had a problem with, Roxanne. It was the fact that I was just being told what to do. But I've grown up since then, you know?"

"I know; you've made that quite clear."

"A year or so ago, my friend and I were talking," he said slowly. "He's girlfriend was, uh, sick. I told him that if I found the right girl, I wasn't going to be stupid enough to try and take it slow. I was going to do everything I could to hold onto her, to get to know her and tell her how special she was." I heard a snort of laughter. "Even if it was just a day or two, you know?"

"How's that working for you?" she asked with a smile. I wanted to see some kind of hope burning in her eyes, but I couldn't find any.

"You'll have to let me know," I replied simply.


	20. Chapter XIX

**Author's Note: My goodness, it feels like forever since I updated this story. All I have to say is that if I'm ever gone for more than a day, please see my profile so that you guys are all made aware of what's going on. It's always up there. Other than that, enjoy some fluff while it lasts. Happy Reading!**

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**Chapter XIX**

"Could you do this a little faster?" I asked, swinging my legs in front of me. Brady had placed me on a tree that had fallen; after, of course, he'd tested it to make sure that I wasn't going to fall. It was silly, actually. I had a high threshold for pain. He'd left me there and promised to come back in a few moments; he just had to go phase. Now I was sitting in the middle of the forest, surrounded by nothing but trees, waiting impatiently for him to reappear. "How long does it take to turn into a wolf?" The crunch of leaves startled me. I tipped back precariously in my search for the source of the noise, reaching around for the anything that I could grab hold of.

Something cold and wet bumped me between the shoulder blades, pitching me forward until I regained my balance. "Very funny," I muttered, remembering all the pranks he'd pulled on me when I was a little kid. I turned my neck to look over my shoulder and came face to face with a wolf that was at least the size of a horse. My heart leapt unevenly in my chest.

I squealed again and scrambled off the tree trunk. I landed rather gracelessly, my hand reaching out to steady me against the brush off the forest ground. I shoved myself upright and turned around to look at the beast. Wasn't rule number one never to turn your back on wild animals? I licked my lips and looked up at it in confusion. Brown eyes that looked exactly like Brady's looked down at me, worry shining in them. He cocked his head to the side and nodded towards the area that he'd come from. "No." My voice broke, but the word came across anyways. "No, um, don't go," I said then. "If that's what you're asking, of course." His head dipped slightly. "I'm going to assume that you're nodding." He dipped again. I nodded this time. There was silence between us, nothing more than the sounds of the nature swirling around us. He jerked his head again.

"No," I said again. "No, just give e a minute to adjust. It's, uh, it's not every day that you meet someone that turns into a wolf." There was a cough, a throaty bark that made me jump another mile and a half in the air. He laid down on his stomach and quickly rolled to the ground, his paws held up in something akin to a surrender. "That's nothing like the Brady I know," I said, allowing a whisper of a laugh to escape my mouth. A muted growl sounded from the belly of the beast. I did manage to laugh at that. "That's more like it." He rolled himself back onto his stomach, one humongous resting on paws that were created for shredding. "You're giant," I informed him. His tongue lolled out of his mouth in what, I think, was the equivalent of a smile.

I took a second to just look at him. His fur was mostly brown. It was dark and coarse looking from where I was standing. From his stomach, the hair darkened until it was almost pitch black on his legs and around his muzzle. "You look like a regular dog," I commented, "just a _lot_ bigger." There was another semblance of laughter that grunted from his throat. I took a hesitant step forward. His head, which he had begun to raise from his feet, dropped down suddenly. So I stopped, afraid of the motion.

"Would it hurt -" I stopped because of course it wouldn't hurt. "Would you mind - - could I pet you, Brady?" He growled a little and pulled a face, an expression that was so human, I couldn't doubt that it was Brady underneath all that fur. "I don't know what you say to a wolf!" I shot at him, hoping to keep my tone light and laughing. The wolf's shoulders shrugged, his head cocked to the side as he looked at me. His eyes were brimming with mirth, dark chocolate swimming in joy. "Can I touch you without fearing that you'll bite the only hand that I have left off?"

He growled again but nodded. I took another step forward; and another; and another. Finally I sank my hand into the downy softness of his fur. It was warm, like a blanket when you first pull it out of the dryer. I touched down to the radiator that was his skin.

Brady jumped and turned towards my hand. I snatched the limb to safety and gave a startled shriek. Brady rolled on his back, his coughing laugh sounding again and again. His paws flailed up in the air as he laughed. I fell back on my butt, tipping to the right since I had no limb to catch my fail. "You're such a brat," I tried, but it was muffled by my laughter. He rolled back over to meet me, a smile on his wolfy face. Unbidden, he rested his head on my thigh and looked up at me. "What? Pet you?" he liked his chops. "And have you try to bite the only limb I have? I think not." He tossed his head, thunking against my stomach and bringing my hand to his head.

I gripped his fur between my fingers in a desperate attempt to keep from falling over. Thankfully, it worked. And Brady, being the mastermind, ended up with me exactly where she wanted me. "I think I like you more like this," I said. He rolled one big eyeball up to look at me. "Yes, I'm being serious. Your big mouth can't make actual words," I informed him. He pressed his head firmly against my stomach. I flopped back in the dewey grass, my arm still tossed over his head. "See, I think you like me more when you're like this too," I giggled, my eyes narrowed.

Brady, the wolf, stood over me, crouched down like he was poised for the kill. His rough tongue brushed from chin to forehead. "God, you are disgusting," I told him, struggling and tugging until I was outside of the cage of his limbs. "We should get back to our parents," I said, not liking the way that this was all making me feel. He was too close, the wolf-him acting too sweet. I was in danger of liking the man more than I should. "Before we have to head out to that bonfire thing of yours tonight," I added.

He nodded his head, though some of the light in his eyes had died. "I'll just wait here while you get - - human again," I said. Some joy returned to his eyes and he nodded, turning around and trotting away. I sank down into the wet grass again, lying down and letting the dew seep through my clothing. I liked him when he was a wolf. He was easy to get along with; fun to be around. He teased, in a fun way, instead of acting like a jerk. Although, that was typical of the him that I was getting to know instead of the boy that I remembered.

This was all just too complicated for me. Between his words and his actions, I was forgetting that I'd only been back around the boy for two days. He could be pretending, being kind because I was a guest. And then there was the added fact that he knew about vampires. I was probably letting that cloud my judgement. It just felt so damn nice to have someone else know my secret. Although that was no reason to decide that you suddenly like someone. No, I had to get my head out of my ass.

Just when I had decided to toughen up and not let the boy get to me, he walked into the shady little glen I was sitting in. His jeans hung low on his hips, his shirt hanging from his hand as he walked. I'd seen his muscles before, but this was different. I didn't know why. I couldn't even explain it. I felt a fire glowing in the pit of my stomach and sucked in a deep breath. He took a step closer, his eyes darker than they normally wonder. I wondered if it was just a normal thing that happened after he turned into a wolf but was too frozen to ask.

"I just got off the phone with my mom," he said, waving the little device in his hand. "Your dad wanted to head to Port Angeles for a few things and Timmy was dying to go. So we can head down to the bonfire whenever you want."

I looked down at the clothing I was wearing. I supposed that it would be fine for a bonfire. Just my bikini top and bottoms with shorts and a cotton hoodie to cover me. "You ready?" he asked, holding a hand out to me. I nodded and slid my hand into his, though I wasn't entirely sure what I was _ready_ for.


	21. Chapter XX

**Author's Note: I have nothing much to say except enjoy!**

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**Chapter XX**

I slowed my walk as we neared the sight of the bonfire. The smell of smoke hung in the air. The fire was visible from where we were standing. This was it. This was the Pack. These were the people that would be able to help me when the time came. If I could get them to stop pitying me. I slowed a little more and ultimately, came to a stop. "Maybe I could meet them another day," I said then. Brady cocked an eyebrow at me. "You go have fun; I'll just head home. Tim wanted to play Twister."

"Roxanne, I know that you're not a coward," he teased. I munched on my lip, because he was wrong. I was a coward. I just hid it neatly behind anger and resentment. "They won't bite," he promised. "And if they do, I promise you won't turn into a wolf or anything." The joke didn't really relax me any. I was still stuck in my own head, rooted to my spot. Brady squeezed my hand and tugged, but I refused to budge. He took a step forward, but all he ended up doing was bringing my arm out straight in front of me.

"Roxanne," he said quietly, looking at me expectantly. I shook my head ever so slightly, hoping that it would be enough for him to see. He came by arm one solid yank, forcing me to take a step forward. I landed with a light thunk against his side. His arm wrapped around me, his face a few inches from mine while he looked down at me. "What are you afraid of, Roxanne? No one is going to hurt you. Remember, we're made to protect people." I did know that. I did believe that. "Then, what's wrong?"

"What if they don't like me?" I asked quietly. "What if they look at me and all they see is the stub?" He sighed and cocked his head to the side. "And besides that, Brady, they don't know me. What they may know is what you've told them and back when we were little, you _hated_ me."

"They won't hate you, I _promise_," he said fervently. "I already told them that you were coming. The girls are looking forward to meet you; and the guys no better than to be closed-minded," he vowed. "It's going to be fun, Roxanne."

Tucked into the safety of a warm chest, I felt strength start to flow through me. I stiffened my spine and put my shoulders back a little bit. He pulled me along, my feet sinking in the sand as I moved towards what felt like my death or my judgement day. "It's going to be okay, Roxanne," he promised when I stiffened again. I could hear the shouting of his friends, now. They were laughing and screaming, their silhouette's moving about in front of me. "Hey Paul!" Brady shouted as the silhouette's became more discernible shapes. He lifted his hands and made some motions.

"This must be the new-be," the one named Paul said. "I'm Paul LaHote," he said, extending a hand towards me. My good side was tucked into Brady's ribcage, giving me no hand to extend in return. I watched Paul's eyes flit down to where my wrist should be, but he was quick to force his gaze back to my eyes. I stepped away from Brady's side enough to give the stranger in front of me my left. He switched his hands to accommodate me and took hold. "This is my wife, Charlotte," he introduced, bringing the woman forward. She was strikingly beautiful. Her eyes were shaped like perfect almost with an exotic tilt to them that I envied. Her hair felt down passed her waist, dark, lush locks that seemed to gleam like satin in the firelight. Paul lifted his hands and made some movements. The woman nodded and extended her left hand to me.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, though her voice was slightly distorted. I had never heard anything like it, actually. "You'll have to forgive me; I'm deaf," she continued nonchalantly. I fought the urge to look up at Brady. I had thought that I was going to be the only person here with a problem and there was a _deaf_ girl? "I'm glad to be meeting you," she added. Somewhere behind us, I heard a call of her name. Paul tapped her shoulder and pointed behind her. "I'll see you around."

As soon as they were gone, I turned to look at Brady. "All right, out with it," he said immediately. I furrowed my brows. "I heard your heart rate go crazy when you realized that Charlie was deaf. Out with it," he repeated. I smiled a little.

"I was just caught off guard," I admitted. "But there was nothing more than a little surprise. I had just expected to be the only one here with a, uh, with a problem," I explained. Brady laughed out loud, the dimples in his cheeks on full display for me.

"Every single one of the girls has problems," he explained. "Don't tell the guys that I said that or I'll end up dead in the sand." It was my turn to giggle. "Every single one of the girls had a problem or two. Ryanne had trust issues. Charlie had parent issues. Penn has a bad history. Kim had self-esteem problems. Tucker had to learn that not all men were evil. Spencer... well, we're still figuring out Spencer. The guys don't judge. You never know what a person is like if you immediately judge them. I should know; I judged you for a long time." I had nothing to say to that. I was just as guilty as he was of that crime. "We all have our problems, Roxanne. The guys would never make fun of you because of your arm. And they're pretty good and seeing people for what they are."

I had nothing to say, so I just kept my head turned down to the ground. "There are plenty of other people for you to meet," he said. "Come on. I'll introduce you to everyone and you'll be having the time of your life before you know it." He had me back against his side almost instantaneously. He wasn't kidding when he'd said that there were other people for me to meet. In the next half hour, I was introduced to more than a dozen people. Brady stayed by my side the entire time, though. By the time dinner was ready, hamburgers and hotdogs, Brady was staring longingly at all his friends.

"Go and hang out with them," I said quietly. "I'll get some food and talk to the girls." He looked at me curiously. "I'll tell you what, help me get some dinner on a plate and then you can leave me in peace." He beamed at that, though I didn't understand why. He towed me over to the dinner area and piled my plate high, full of things that I didn't need and more food than I could consume in a week if I tried. "This is way too much," I told him.

"Whatever you don't eat, I'll finish," he promised. "Here's your food. Go sit down and visit with everyone. I'll be back before you know that I'm gone." Highly doubtful, but the sentiment was appreciated. I settled myself on the log, my plate lying in my lap.

"So you're the new girl," someone said, sinking down on the log next to me. "I'm Penn," she said, extending her left hand to me. I dropped my fork down in my plate and reached out to take her hand. "We've been getting a lot of fresh meat here," she said. "I think it's because the boys are finally growing up," she explained.

"You're here with...?" I left the question open ended, hoping that she would provide the information I was seeking.

"Embry Call," she explained. "My husband. He's a crazy little kid most of the time, but usually a good guy."

"Oh my God, don't get her started about her husband," a woman with a short cropped haircut, Leah, said. "Please, dear God. She'll go on and on about him for days. And _please_ don't say the name Lizzie. It'll be a long night."

"Oh shut up and leave me alone," Penn said, swatting a hand at the other girl.

I noticed then that the two of them were pregnant. Penn's hand hovered over her slightly extended abdomen. Leah was a little farther along than the other girl. "It's our job to scare the new ones. I might as well tell her now that she's going to be hopelessly devoted to a man for the rest of her life."

"You are not_ hopelessly_ devoted," a redhead said as she plopped herself down beside me. "There is always hope when we're with the guys."

"Lo and behold!" Leah exclaimed, waving a hand at the curly haired girl. "The power of an imprint."

"Of a what?"


	22. Chapter XXI

**Author's Note: Okay, now that midterms are over, life should be a little simpler and I should be able to get back to my daily updates. I'm sorry that it's been so hectic. I would love to be able to write and upload all day without any interruptions, but unfortunately, I don't get paid for this. (Pathetic, wistful sigh). Anyways, enjoy!**

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**Chapter XXI**

"Brady," I squawked, my hand crossed over my chest like I would if I had both of my arms. He turned from where he was standing by all of his friends, a ready smile on his face. A smile that died the second that he realized I most definitely was _not_ smiling back at him. "I need to talk to you," I declared. How could he have forgotten this most important detail? It's not like a predestined love was something that just slipped your mind! Especially when that love was between two people who hated each other.

He jogged over to where I was standing and gripped my shoulders between his hands. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?" he asked immediately.

"No, everything is _not_ okay," I assured him. "How could you forget to tell me about this?" His brows furrowed, his confusion evident. "What the hell is an imprint and how could you not tell me that I was one?" I said, quick to clear up his confusion. "How could you forget to mention that I'm supposed to be bound to you for all of my life?" He licked his lips and lifted his face enough to glare at someone.

"You clearly know what it is," he said, trying to laugh a little. I didn't join him. "I was going to tell you, Roxanne; I swear I was." I waited for the _but._ "There was a lot for both of us to take in. You were trying to tell me about your dad and that vampire. I was trying to tell you about the Pack. It just didn't seem right to jump in and tell you that you were my imprint too," he explained. I shook my head at him, trying to process his sentence.

"You thought it was _better_ to just wait and spring this all on me?" I snarled. "I don't know about you, but some of us prefer to have all the news at once instead of constantly putting ourselves in a state of panic." I shook my head. "Were you really going to tell me, Brady? Or just hope that I was going to be hopelessly devoted to you anyways?"

"That's not what an imprint is, Roxanne. It's not -" He sighed, frustrated with the conversation. He raked his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what the girls told you, but please, for me, stay and listen to the legends."

"Why?" I snapped.

"Because they'll explain it more fully. At least then you'll know. All I could really do is tell you what the legends say. You might as well listen to them," he tried. I sighed and looked away from him, my jaw set in a firm line. After a few minutes of staring at the ocean waves, I gave my acquiescence. "Don't be mad at me, Roxanne. Please. I promise you I was going to explain. I was just waiting for the right moment."

"I'm not mad," I said, pulling out of his grasp and backing away.

"You're not?" he asked suspiciously. I shook my head.

"I'm livid," I said, an impish smile on my face. "And if you think I'm going to trust you for the next, like hour, Brady Blackstone, you're sorely mistaken." I turned my back to him then and started walking away.

"At least she gives you a warning," a voice shouted. "Leah just expects me to figure out when I can go talk to her again."

"Shut your trap, Nathan Crowe, or trust me, you'll regret it," Leah shouted back at who I assumed was her husband.

The men gave a bark of laughter towards the women and went back to their sandy football game. I returned to the fire pit, fuming and ready for a real argument. "He never told you," a quite voice guessed. I turned to find the girl with the hair, Ryanne, looking at me. "Did he?" I shook my head. "They're all so funny," she said handing me a red Solo cup with soda in it. "The guys want us to be in love with them too, so they wait for the right time to tell us about the imprint."

"Trust me, Brady is _not_ in love with me," I laughed. "He's hated me from the time that I was a little kid. I'm sure that he's just as mad as I am about this whole imprint fiasco." All the girls started laughing at that. "What? You guys know Brady in a different way than I do," I told them. "He hates me. And I really don't blame him. I wasn't all that nice to him back when we were kids. Our mission in life was to terrorize the other as much as possible. Not that it really matters, right? There has to be some way out of this."

"You think so, huh?" the girl named Penn asked. "Trust me, if there was a way out, I would have found it in the very beginning. I didn't want anyone, let alone Embry Call." She shook her head, her eyes going over to look at the man in question. "But there is no way out and the deeper you guy, the more you'll find you don't _want_ a way out," she promised. I just shook my head. Brady wouldn't want me any more than I wanted him. This was all ridiculous.

"You think that he doesn't love you. Maybe you're right," Ryanne shrugged. "But he doesn't hate you; not anymore. I don't think the imprint would actually _allow_ him to hate you. He doesn't hate you and if you'd just give him a chance, I'm sure that the two of you will fall in love and live long, happy lives together." I shook my head. "Come on, all of us has said that at one point or another. Except for maybe Kim. Kim!" she shouted. "Ddi you ever think you weren't going to live happily every after with Jared?"

The girl came over to us and shook her head, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. "I always knew that he was going to come back eventually," Kim said. "They can't stay away too long or they start to get crazy." Great, I had walked into the land of happy romance. These people's lives were nothing but rainbows, sunshine, and unicorns. They may each have their problems, but did any of them know how to make the had decisions that life had to offer? Probably not. I doubted that any of them knew what it was like to lose everything and cling to one thing.

"It's not all shits and giggles, though," Leah said. She rested my hand on her shoulder, surprising me by putting her hand against the shoulder that lacked a limb. "Our relationships have as many ups and downs as normal relationships. The difference is that we don't have the luxury of time when our problems hit." I narrowed my eyes. "The wolves are bound to their imprints. Meaning that when we get in a fight, we have a very limited amount of time. Wolves start to hurt when they're not around their imprints. It's a physical thing. Imprints have the same problem."

"This happened to you and Nate?" I asked. She shrugged. "When did the guys discover that they were wolves?"

"Nate's not a wolf," she laughed. "I am." I felt my eyes open wide. "Don't worry; I'm the only girl wolf. It's like a genetic defect or something, but let's not let my husband hear me saying that. He'll just get all upset and say there's nothing defective about me." She rolled her eyes. "I came to terms with it a while back," she shrugged. "Besides, it has its benefits too. I'm a wolf, so I can explain what it's like to the girls. But I'm also a girl, so I can explain to the guys where they are completely fucking up." The girls all laughed. "We're a family. We stick together most of the time."

"Most of the time?" the girl named Tucker asked indignantly. "We're there for each other _all the time_," she amended. "Make no mistake, some of the girls like to pretend that they mean to scare the new imprints." She glared at Leah. "It's just a joke, though. We've kind of sorted ourselves into two separate groups." She pointed at the group of dark haired girls that were huddled in one corner. "On one side, you have the bitches. That's me, Leah, Penn and Ryanne.. Then you have the nice girls. That's Emily, Kim, Charlie, and Spencer. You can pick whatever side you want. We're all still family. We look out for each other and all get along. Eventually, Claire will be a nice girl. We al know if. She's to similar to Emily for anything else."

I looked between the two groups, noting that they were still mingling between each other and at the same time distinct. "If you ask me," she continued leaning over, "I think you belong with our little band." I smiled and actually laughed.

"I'm going to take a walk," I said.

"Not into the forest," Ryanne practically screamed. "The guys make freak out if you go into the forest along at night." I nodded and continued walking away.

There was too much to think about. I was Brady imprint. I was supposed to be the other half of his soul. I didn't like that and yet, the thought of it being someone else sent a porcupine tumbling around in my stomach. I couldn't leave him. That much was abundantly clear to me. Leah had said that separation caused physical pain to both the wolf and the imprint. And maybe I could deal with pain, but it would be unfair to do that to Brady. He had no more choice in the matter than I'd had. "An arranged marriage would have been better."


	23. Chapter XXII

**Author's Note: I hope that this catches you all a little off guard. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XXII**

The legends were interesting and truly informative. It was good to know more about where everything had started. They also reinforced my notion that I really didn't have a say in this imprint. None of the girls that I was surrounded be seemed to have the slightest hesitation about their situation. Maybe they didn't see it like I did. Maybe all of their imprints had liked them from the start. Brady and I were... Well, we were a messed couple of kids that were trying to figure out how to get over our pasts.

From what I understood, it would hurt him, kill him if I rejected him. They said that he would be whatever I needed him to be, but from what I could tell, it all ended the same. Every single relationship ended up in a romance. They said that one of the guys had imprinted on a little girl, so it made sense that he wouldn't want _romance_ with her. So maybe it was some kind of failsafe or something. I couldn't imagine falling in love with Brady. Liking him, sure. But loving him, I couldn't even comprehend that idea.

"You okay?" he asked, bumping into me. "You've been a little quiet since we left the bonfire." I nodded. "You sure? Because you seem to be thinking really, really hard about something." I licked my lips, not liking that I was so completely transparent to him. "Please tell me." It would all have to be said at some point. There was no reason why right now could be that point.

"I wish you would have told me that I was your imprint," I began, "because I would have been better prepared for tonight." He opened his mouth, undoubtedly to apologize again, but I wouldn't let him interrupt me. "I feel like we're back in the same boat that we were in back when we were kids. It's just like being in an arranged marriage all over again, except this time, I have no way out." I shook my head, feeling completely hopeless. "I can't tell you no about this, Brady. I see that much. But I'm not in love with you. I don't think I'm ever going to _be_ in love with you. I don't want to see either one of us hurt because you're expecting something that I can't give you."

"I don't expect anything from you, Roxanne. I just want you to be happy. That's all I want. I swear. This isn't like before. For starters, I'm not a jackass anymore, so I won't be trying to ruin your day every day. Plus, we don't have to get married this time. This isn't like it was back then. If you don't want this, then that's it. We're done. We can just be friends. We can be...brother and sister. Whatever you want, Roxanne." What I wanted was for all of this to disappear. I wanted these new emotions to disappear.

"That's what you say, right? But at the end of the day, we're going to end up in some fairytale romance," I whispered. "So why should I even bother fighting it? We're only supposed to find our happily ever after and if I argue with it, chances are I'll hurt the both of us." He couldn't figure out an argument to that one. I was right, irrefutably right. I would hurt both of us and end up regretting every minute of it. "Does it really matter? It's what our parents always wanted anyways. It'll just make everyone happy, right?"

"Roxanne, this isn't about the rest of them. Just you and me. Whatever you decide, I'll be happy with it," he replied. "You make the decision." Except that this decision had already been made for me. The mystical _Spirits_ had decided that I was supposed to be tied to a guy that hated me for the rest of my life. It wasn't my choice. The choice that I would make would only cause both of us pain. So what choice did I really have left? I could make my father, my dead mother, and his family happy with my decision.

"We'll tell them in the morning," I said, coming up the porch steps to settle on the swing that was there in the corner. I pulled my knees up and rested my chin on them, unconsciously looping my arm around them. "There's no need to wake everyone up now and tell them to news."

"What news?" he asked.

"That we're getting married," I breathed. "We might as well. There's nothing left for us to fight. It would make our parents happy. Your mother has always wanted me to marry you so that she and my mother could be officially related. My mom may not be here anymore, but she'd still want this, too. And my dad... Well, he knows that my mom would want it so he'll want it, too. It's a win-win situation for everyone. Neither one of us will be hurt this way, right?" He just stared at me like I had sprouted wings. "I'm not rejecting the imprint. If anything, I'm embracing it, this way. It'll work out the best for everyone."

"You want to get married?" he repeated slowly.

"I mean, there will be some things that we'll have to talk about, but we could work that out. Obviously we can't live on the Makah Reservation with you having to be here for wolf stuff," I continued. "You have your own house, right? I'm pretty sure that you said something about your roommate needing sometime with his girlfriend. I'm okay with a roommate. Or two, I guess. Whatever we decide to do, really. My only worry with having someone else live with us would be keeping up the pretense of us not having a happy marriage. I know that it's some kind of macho thing or something. We could make it work."

"Roxanne, we don't have to get married," he said, his hands gripping my shoulder. He sat down on his needs in front of me. "It's not like it used to be. I mean, yeah in the olden days maybe we would have needed to get married. But we don't have to do that anymore. We can get to know each other and be friends. It's okay to just be friends."

"And have our families question _why_ we're hanging out a lot? No thanks. I don't feel like having to explain ti to my dad," I retorted. "Look, Brady, we just tell them that we talked and we reconciled and we decided that this arranged marriage thing would work out. They'll be so ecstatic that they won't even know t do with themselves."

"And what about you and me? What are we supposed to do with ourselves?" I took a deep breath and tried to think things through. "I think you're trying to make everyone happy, Roxanne. We really don't have to do this."

"Do you not _want_ this?" I asked.

"We know nothing about each other," he countered.

"That's not true," I retorted. "We know everything about each other. We may have to learn how to get along, but I think that we could make this work Brady. And this is where this all heading anyways. Isn't that the point of an imprint?"

"No! An imprint is the other half of your soul."

"See, you would end up married to me anyways. We're just cutting out the middle section," I said. "This is only logical, Brady."

"Logic isn't what an imprint is supposed to be about," he said. "It's supposed to be about love and everything that comes with that. And what am I supposed to tell my friends? They'll hear my thoughts. It's the pack link. Remember, we talked about that?" I nodded. "They'll know that I'm lying about this."

"So you make up a story," I dismissed. "You tell them that the truth. You say that this was all my idea."

"Getting married is definitely all your idea," he said with a nod.

"Exactly. You tell them that I heard about the imprint and found out what it was and that I decided that I wanted to get married. I'd always secretly liked you anyways."

"You have not," he laughed.

"I did. I just quickly got over that liking every time you opened your mouth," I replied, quirking a smile at him. He rolled his eyes at me. "Look, Brady, _this_ is a god idea. It makes our families happy. It protects you and me from the bad things that happen with an imprint. It does everything that we need it to."

"Except for having us fall in love, Roxanne."

"Love will come one way or another," I said for what felt like the millionth time. "This is a good idea."

He let go of my shoulders and dropped down onto his ass, scooting back to lean against the railing of the porch. "You're set on this?" he asked. I nodded. "Well, shit. I guess we're getting married."

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**Don't worry; Brady's Point of View is up tomorrow.**


	24. Chapter XXIII

**Author's Note: Brady's point of view, as promised. Someone asked for an interaction with the Pack, but that wasn't what I had planned for today, so I hope this satisfies instead. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XXIII:****_ Brady's Point of View_**

"What news?" I asked cautiously.

"That we're getting married," she replied, her words little more than a whisper of air. "We might as well. There's nothing left for us to fight," she said. I furrowed my brows, completely confused. "It would make our parents happy. Your mother has always wanted me to marry you so that she and my mother could be officially related." A touch of sadness grabbed hold of her eyes, like something was dragging her soul down. "My mom may not be here anymore, but she'd still want this, too. And my dad... Well, he knows that my mom would want it so he'll want it, too. It's a win-win situation for everyone." For everyone? She didn't want to marry me. I could see it in her eyes. I could hear it in her voice. "Neither one of us will be hurt this way, right?"

She's more concerned about everyone else than she is with her own happiness. "I'm not rejecting the imprint," she clarified, her left held up as if she was trying to ward me off. "If anything, I'm embracing it this way. It'll work out the best for everyone." Everyone except her. Even I would be happy. But she'd been so mad that I hadn't told her about the imprint that I'd spent the better part of the bonfire waiting for her to decide that she was going to reject me. Her deciding that marry me was the last thing that I'd expected.

"You want to get married?" I asked, my eyes narrowed.

"I mean, there will be some things that we'll have to talk about," she said. Her voice quivered, undermining the surety that she was trying to infuse into it. "But we could that out. Obviously we can't live on the Makah Reservation with you having to be here for wolf stuff. You have your own house, right?" I was truly frowning now. She was jumping around, like she couldn't make up her own mind and yet, she was determined that we were going to get married. "I'm pretty sure that you said something about your roommate needing some time with his girlfriend. I'm okay with a roommate." She paused, her head cocked to the side like she was seriously contemplating all of this. "Or two, I guess. Whatever we decided to do really," she shrugged.

I was becoming seriously concerned for her sanity at the moment. "My only with having someone else live with us would be keeping up the pretense of us not having a happy marriage." I fought back my snort of disbelief. We would have a happy marriage; I would make sure of that. "I know that it's some kind of macho thing or whatever. We could make it work."

Dear God; she was truly serious about all of this. "Roxanne, we don't have to get married." I sank down onto my knees in front of her, grabbing her thin shoulders within my hands. It was amazing that bones that looked so delicately carved and fragile could bear the burdens that I knew she had. "It's not like it used to be. I mean, yeah, in the olden days maybe we would have needed to get married. But we don't have to do that anymore. We can get to know each other and be friends." I knew so little about her that jumping into a marriage didn't seem like the right thing to do. "It's okay to just be friends."

"And have our families question _why_ we're hanging out a lot? No thanks," she replied, an almost hysterical laugh emerging from her lips. "I don't feel like having to explain to my dad." I wanted to shake my head, or her shoulders, until she realized how completely ridiculous she was being about this. "Look, Brady, we just tell them that we talked and we reconciled and we decided that this arranged marriage thing would work out. They'll be so ecstatic that they won't even know what to do with themselves."

"And what about you and me? What are we supposed to do with ourselves?" She sighed and looked away from everything, a sure sign that she was not as happy as she was pretending to be, I'd learned. "I think you're trying to make everyone happy, Roxanne. We really don't have to do this."

No matter what my argument was, she didn't want to listen to me. She was set on having me marry her. No matter what I said, she said that marriage was the answer. So why shouldn't I give her what she wanted? My job as her soulmate was to keep her safe and make her happy. She _thought_ that this would make her happy while I knew that it was the last thing that she should be doing. She was trying to make everyone happy. What was I supposed to do? Did I give her what she wanted even if it would make it unhappy?

Unless I _could_ make her happy. If we were to have the big marriage, like my mother would undoubtedly want, I could show her that she didn't have to do this because she thought that it was right. She could do this because she could love me. "Look, Brady, _this_ is a good idea. It makes our families happy. It protects you and me from the bad things that happen with an imprint. It does everything we need it to."

I had already made up my mind that I would give her this, if only so that I could show her that I truly cared. "Except for having us fall in love, Roxanne," I said, a final attempt to get her to change her mind.

"Love will come one way or another,"she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "This is a good idea," she repeated.

I sighed because I need to go and run, because I needed to burn the energy. There was a part of me that thought that I was being ridiculous. I shouldn't be giving into any of this. But at least this way there was a chance that I could learn to love her and she could learn to love me in return. At least this way, there was a chance that I could show her what an imprint really was. "You're set on this?" I asked on final time, just to make sure. "Well shit; I guess we're getting married.

Most girls would jump for joy if they'd just found their soulmate and gotten engaged. Roxanne just looked like she was going to cry or maybe lay down on the floor and die. She muttered something about going into the house then, her eyes demurely downcast as she walked away, her left arm brushing against her side. "What the hell am I doing?" I whispered to myself when I could hear her footsteps on the stairs.

"I don't know; what are you doing?" Leah's voice asked. I looked up to find the woman walking through the forest. "You looked like someone ran over your dog after Roxanne came to yell at you tonight. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"You don't even like me, Leah," I laughed.

"Believe it or not," she said, bounding up the porch stairs and taking the spot Roxanne had occupied only moments earlier. I rested my elbows on my knees and looked at her. "I think of most of you guys like my younger brothers. And I treat Seth like shit all the time so I figure that I shouldn't treat the rest of you any differently," she laughed. "What's going on?"

"We're getting married," I admitted.

"Well, I must admit that I wasn't expecting that. And here I thought she was going to be one of us that was hard to convince. Most of the imprints have been pains." I nodded in agreement. "How'd you convince her?"

"I didn't. It was her idea. She feels like that's where it's all heading anyways, so she might as well embrace it." Leah nodded slowly.

She rose and extended her hand to me. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" I asked, not taking her hand put rising as well.

"You're a guy; I know how your mind works. Plus, I've spent a considerable amount of time up there, too," she added. "You're hoping that you can make her fall in love with you before this wedding." I was too stunned to respond. "Which means that you're going to need some help. Because otherwise, you're going to fuck everything up."

"You're a mother now; I thought you didn't use that kind of language?" I teased.

"I wouldn't, but in these circumstances the word was fitting. Now come on," she said.

"Where are we going?" I asked again.

"The girls are all at my house, so we'll head there."

"You're taking me to be with all the girls?" I asked.

"You're a boy, which means that your ideas will be great but your execution will be lacking. In other words, you need our help," she smiled. "Now come on."


	25. Chapter XXIV

**Author's note: November is no-shave-November. Since I don't have a beard nor do I have a reason to keep up with with this thing. (For those who don't know, the month applies to beards and mustaches.) So, I have decided that we are going to ****_attempt_**** to make this month no-skip-November. With the obvious exclusion of Sundays, I'm going to do my best to have a chapter a day up for you guys before midnight. Let's hope it goes well! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XXIV:****_ Brady's Point of View_**

Leah dragged me up the porch stairs. I heard a floorboard creak under my foot and couldn't help but be a little angry, remembering all the time that I had spent working on the damn thing. "Girls, we have a crisis," she announced. I thought it was a little over dramatic, but I didn't say anything. I heard some girlish giggling in the background, nothing at all like what the girls normally sounded like. "Dork face here went and got himself engaged to the imprint who didn't even know what it was six hours ago."

"You did what?" Ryanne practically shouted at me. We weren't even all the way in the house and I was already being shouted at. "Why in God's green Earth would you propose to her? The girl thinks that you hate her. She thinks that you two are defined my the past. You have got to be completely insane."

"Leah," I interrupted, "forgot to mention that it was Roxanne's idea that we get married.I had nothing to say about the matter really. I never even _asked_ her. She said that it was inevitable anyways, so why bother?"

"Why bother with a marriage?" Kim asked then. That got all the girls chattering about their marriages, about how happy they were, about how arraign was something that shouldn't be taken lightly, but rather seriously thought through first. I thought that all of them may have lost their minds. "Well, that settles it," Kim announced. I hadn't even been able to keep up with the conversation. It all just sounded like a lot of blabber. "You need to make her fall in love with her before you guys get married. You guys have to do this the right way."

"Like the rest of us did," Charlie said. "We all had to wait to fall in love _before we _got married."

"Which is why I brought him here," Leah said. "He has no idea what to do with this."

"I have some ideas," I said. Leah leveled me with a look that I couldn't quite figure out, but clearly told me to shut up.

"You are a man, which means you have very few ideas about what to do with this," Penn said. All of them laughed at her. My anger boiled in my chest. Of all of them, Penn was the one that had the least faith in men. Unless said man was Embry Call, in which case Penn could believe that the man could conquer the world using his pinky finger. "You just have to be vocal about your feelings. Make sure that she knows what you're thinking. And the most important thing is _do not run away_."

"I'm not running from her," I shouted. "She said that she wanted to get married and I said yes. I did not run. I didn't hide. I said yes. I did what I said I would do," I snarled. "If you guys aren't going to help me, I'm going to have to do this on my own. Picking on me isn't going to do anything."

"We aren't picking on you," Tucker said. "We're just giving you a hard time. Calm your balls, Brady. We're just trying to be helpful. But Penn is right; you do have to talk to her and let her know what you're feeling. With a girl like Roxanne, I mean someone who's been through that much trauma, she needs to know what's going on. She needs consistency and vocalization so that nothing takes her by surprise," she explained.

They came up with ideas, bringing her flowers, taking her out to dinner, finding out more about her. Things that seemed completely stupid to me. And during all of it, I was expected to be talking to her and telling her how I felt about things. None of that seemed to be logical though. I had tried the talking thing and it didn't work. Roxanne didn't think that I meant any of it. Words had only ever gotten her into trouble. Words had bounder to a vampire. Hell, our words had caused her mother's death. She didn't need words.

No; she needed action. Wasn't the saying "actions speak louder than words?" I was going to to have to show the girl that I was going to love her. "Guys!" I shouted over the noise that they were making. They were laughing and giggling and shouting ideas at each other. If I heard the phrase, "in this book I read," one more time, I was going to kill myself. "I think I can figure this out on my own, thank you very much. It's my imprint that we're talking right now." I pointed out. "Thanks for all the help, but no thanks."

"No thanks?" Tucker, Ryanne, _and_ Leah shouted after me. "Everyone has help with their imprints! That's the way that this Pack works. We help each other out."

"When we need it. I don't need help. This is my imprint. I have to do this on my own; sink or swim," I replied. "Besides, you guys knew each other when you were giving advice. You've only just met Roxanne. So, for the time being, I think I'll stick with the sink or swim method." With that, I disappeared out the doors and into the forest night.

My house was silent when I finally got there, darkness engulfing every corner. I could heard five solid heartbeats thumping rhythmically. I smiled a little bit and tossed my head to the side, my own heart speeding up as I recognized my imprint's heartbeat. Hers skyrocketed suddenly, a moan that I shouldn't have been able to hear filtering through the drywall and sheet rock. "Roxanne?" I muttered, climbing the stairs. "Roxanne, wake up," I breathed, coming to stand in the doorway of her bedroom. I said her name one more time, but I must have penetrated some wall in her subconscious.

She sighed heavily, breathing relief into the air around us. Her mind didn't trust me, but her body did. Everything in her subconscious knew that I would protect her and keep her safe. Most weekends at my parents', I looked forward to sleeping in and not having to run patrol. But with me in her room, Roxanne had fallen back into her peaceful slumber without any of the dreams that seemed to be plaguing her. The only solution to this little dilemma was to then have me sleep on the floor until sunrise and sneak into my own room. She deserved some peaceful sleep.

I dragged a quilt from the closet and managed to sneak a pillow from her unused side of the bed, silently wishing that I could crawl into that bed and curl up around her. But I couldn't. The last time that I'd been in her bed, I'd been invited. It would only set us back God knows how much time if I crawled in their unwanted. The carpet was rough against my skin. The floor boards were hard as… well hard as floor boards. The quilt was going to be too much weight, but sleeping without it would be too cold. But being near her was worth it.

My first inkling when I woke was that i was not alone. A soft, pliant body was pressed against mine. I could feel heat underneath my fingertips, but it was the kind of nearly unbearable heat that I wanted to feel every single day. I could feel the beginning of the sun's heat against my skin, streaming through the window above the bed. Comfortable as I was, it was a reminder that I needed to wake up and get out of Roxanne's room before someone came here to wake her up.

Prying my eyes open, I looked down at raven locks spread like a fan over my chest. She was sleeping with me? When had she gotten on the ground? Her knee was bent, positioned over my groin with my hand placed in the crease of her thigh and calf. My other hand was wrapped around her shoulders, resting against her waist. God she was beautiful. And she was holding onto me. Her hand was crossed over my chest, gripping my shoulder. Her thumb brushed against the dip in my collar bone. Her arm was bent at the elbow, almost pillowing her head, but instead slipping into the hole between my shoulder and my chest. Her fingertips flirted with the silkiness of her hair.

A part of me thought that I should wake her up. I wasn't sure if she knew that she was pillowed against my chest and cuddled in my arms. Then there was the thought that she totally know that she was sleeping on the ground with me. And she'd been restless when I'd first gotten home last night. It would be best for her to go back to her bed and get some more sleep. But oh how I was loathe to put her in her bed.

One thing became abundantly clear to me. Actions spoke louder than words. Her words were saying that she wasn't happy about this imprint, but her actions, our upcoming marriage, the fact that she was on the ground with me, all of it said that she did want me.

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**I didn't realize that FanFiction doesn't allow you to post links in chapters. Stupid rule, if you ask me. I have an external website that is not used for FanFiction. If you're interested in checking it out, please PM me and I'll send you the link. Happy Reading!**


	26. Chapter XXV

**Author's Note: Okay, all, so begins no-skip-November! Happy Reading!**

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**Chapter XXV**

My heart was racing, pounding. I bolted upright, wishing that I could scream and get rid of the tension that was thrumming through my body. I blinked a few times, hoping that my contacts would reposition themselves in the right spot. Technically, I wasn't supposed to wear them to bed, but I rarely listened to the rules. Tonight was one of the nights that I was grateful that I had worn them, though. Without them, I would have been able to hear the rumbling tractor that seemed to be in my room, but I would have had no way of identify that thing as Brady Blackstone.

My initial thought was that he shouldn't be in my room. I thought about throwing something at him and kicking him out, but my heart was still racing. The anxiety was pouring through my veins. It was a panic attack, undoubtedly brought on by the fact that I'd had a visit from the man who controlled my future and my father, I'd just found out that the guy that I hated was my soulmate. And as if that wasn't enough, he was also a Spirit Warrior that could turn into a dog. I believe a panic attack was more than in order.

I shoved myself out of bed, thinking that pacing would be the best way to rid myself of this fear. I was going to be marrying Brady. He wouldn't want someone that was a complete freak and couldn't sleep through the night without thinking that she was going to have a heart attack. Normally, I would call Cooper and talk to him. But I couldn't call my best friend at three in the morning and tell him everything. I was fairly certain that married women didn't call other men in the middle of the night. Even if they were gay.

A warm hand wrapped around my ankle and slid up my calf. I could feel the fear ease out of me ever so slightly. I tried to gently tug my leg from his grasp, but Brady help firm. I was going to have to wake him up. I supposed that that was fine, since i had been planning on kicking him out of my room anyways. I knelt on the ground, meaning to grip his strong, broad shoulder and shake him awake. But he was so warm and there was something about him that was so inviting. As it was, I could feel my racing heart beginning to calm.

Refusing to over examine the situation, I laid myself down alongside him, telling myself that as soon as the anxiety attack had passed, I could get up and get into bed again. Just a few minutes of leaning against him, enough time for my heart to stop and my mind to cool down.

I woke the next morning feeling proud of myself for getting up at some point in the night and crawling back into my own bed. I couldn't even remembering falling asleep, let along waking up to get in bed again. Either way, I was alone in my room. Which was probably for the best. If my father woke up and found Brady in my room, it would be an instant fight. And with Brady and I about to announce that we were getting married, one fight was about all that I could take for the moment. I groaned and allowed myself to flop on the bed again. I was an engaged woman. "Shit!" I hissed to myself. "I have to call Cooper before he finds out some other way," I muttered to myself.

I fumbled for my phone but couldn't manage to find the stupid device. I was in the process of throwing things around when I heard something thunk to the wooden floor. I stopped my search and looked down. On the ground, tied with a ribbon, was a small circle. I reached down for it, clasping the jewelry between my fingers when the knock sounded. "Come in," I called. Brady opened the door and cross the threshold, stopping dead and tinging pink when he saw the little ring I held in my hands.

"I bet you don't remember that," he said, pointing at the ribbon tied object. "You gave it to me when we were seven," he said. I frowned, looking at the silver ring. In the center sat a piece of turquoise, polished to shine. It was only a small piece, nothing more than a little fashion ring.

"We bought it at the crafts shop that used to be downtown," I recalled. He nodded. It had been my peace offering to him that summer. We'd only known each other for three years back then, but it was more than enough time for us to decide that we'd hated each other. Except _that_ summer, Brady had helped me climb down from a particularly high pine tree when I'd gotten my foot caught. I'd decided to thank him by giving him the only piece of jewelry that I had been given. "My dad bought this ring for me when we were there."

"And you gave it to me," he said. "You told me it was a thank you present because I saved you from the coyotes that would have eaten you."

"You were the one who told me about those!" I practically shouted. "I told you that I liked to climb trees."

"And I told you that coyotes in La Push were able to climb trees, so you should look out," he replied. "I won't lie to you, I never thought that I deserved that ring. I actually felt really bad about having it since I was the reason that you got stuck up there."

"I can't believe you kept this," I muttered to myself. He shrugged.

"I just figured that you should have some kind of engagement ring. It's the best that I have right now. We can get you a better one. I just thought -"

"No, I like this one," I managed. "There's some memories with this one." Plus the shock that he'd kept it. We'd despised each other. Why would he have kept a trinket like this? Maybe it was one of the few good memories he had of me. God knew that it was one of the few days I remembered the two of us getting along in our childhood. "I like this one," I repeated. Some emotion flared in his eyes, but before I had time to look closely at them, he tugged the ring from my fingers.

"Maybe we could add something to it one day, then," he suggested, gripping the fingers of my left hand in his. "I don't think it's nearly as nice as what you would have gotten if I'd been prepared, but -"

"Will you please stop bashing my engagement ring?" I demanded then. "Some things are more important than shining rocks and gold. This one has memories." He slid the ring up my hand and over my knuckles. Keeping hold of my hand, he lifted it to his lips and pressed a kissed against my skin. "Are you ready to tell them?"

"You mean 'am I ready to have your dad kill me?'" he corrected. I just smiled. "There's really no time like the present right?" I looked down at my camisole clad top. "It's just family," he said as if he could read my worry. "Come on." Since he still had my hand, he simply threaded our fingers together and helped me up from the bed. We headed towards the stairs and immediately my fears started churning. What _was_ my father going to say about this? More importantly, how was I really going to explain it? I'd been so against an arranged marriage, he'd never believe me.

"Hey, stick to the plan," Brady muttered in my ear. "Everything will be fine if we stick to the plan." Right. I would just let Brady do the talking and hope that my father would keep his mouth shut until we got in the car for the drive home. "Everything is going to be fine." He squeezed my hand like that was supposed to make it better. The strangest thing was that it was making it better. It was just like last night, when being with him had eased the anxiety. "Morning everyone."

Our fathers greeted us easily enough, but it was his mother that noticed our connected hands. "What's going on?" Judith asked immediately. She set the knife and orange that she'd been cutting aside and wiped her hands on the cloth that was hanging over her shoulder. "I'm not complaining; I'm just saying that I've never seen you two look that friendly." Brady smiled down at me, another reassurance that he would make sure everything was okay. I was just going to have to trust him.

"We have something that we'd like to say," he began, holding a steady gaze with my father. I could help but silently applaud his gumption. "We're getting married."

"I beg your pardon?"


	27. Chapter XXVI

**Author's Note: Okay, so here's what happened. FanFiction quite literally ****_locked _****me out of my account last night. Apparently they didn't get my memo about no-skip-November. Anyways, I apologize, but here's the much-awaited next chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XXVI**

Brady opened his mouth like he was about to speak, but I knew that it wouldn't get us through this. So I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and opened mine instead. "We're getting married. It's what everyone has always wanted for us and it's what we're going to do." Judith's eyes filled with tears, but I assumed that they were tears of joy since she didn't seem all too upset with the actions. "We talked about it yesterday. Everything is all worked out." That was a complete lie if ever I'd heard one, but no one questioned it.

No one except for my father. "Roxanne, outside. Now," he growled. I rolled my eyes and tried to slip my hand from Brady's, but he only threaded our fingers together. He followed me towards the back door, where my father stopped to look at me, finally realizing that Brady had joined me. "Brady, I'd like to speak to my daughter alone, if you don't mind," my father said in a voice that didn't broker argument. "We have some things to talk about." I almost laughed at the glare on his face when Brady refused to move.

"With all due respect, sir, I think it only fair that I be here too. Roxanne isn't the only one who decided that we should get married," he replied. I stifled my laughter since it was pretty much _me_ that decided that we were going to get married. A glimmer of respect shone in my father's. How could he not? Brady was basically asserting his position as my husband. Without releasing my hand, Brady turned and slid the door closed. I silently ticked a point in his column. I wasn't looking forward to facing my father.

"Roxie, you never wanted this," Dad said with a blatant glare towards our joined hands.

"Mom wanted this for me, Dad. Is it really so bad if I'm doing the things that she wanted?"

"Your mother wanted you to be happy, Roxanne. You will never ben happy with him," he jabbed a rather impolite finger at Brady.

"We don't know that, Dad. Brady and I were both so against the arranged marriage in the beginning that we wouldn't even consider it. We sat down. We talked things out," I said. "I really think that Brady and I could actually be happy, Dad. He's a good guy, we both know it."

"You two cannot possibly have worked out all your differences in such a short amount of time, my father tried to argue again.

"There wasn't anything to work out," I tried again, feeling the exasperation build up in me. "Like I said, when we were young, neither of us wanted to be told what to do. I'm only sorry that we didn't come to terms with all of this earlier."

"And you, Brady?" Dad said, his eyes narrow and angry as he looked at the man.

"I care about your daughter, Mr. Potts. I honestly do. And the last thing that I want to do is hurt her. We talked about this, all of it. I made certain that this was what Roxanne wanted. I won't do anything to hurt her. And if she decides that she wants to be done with me, I completely understand. This is what I wanted. This is what my parents have always wanted."

"And more importantly, this is what Mom always wanted, Dad," I said, interrupting Brady's rant. I don't have her here to tell me that to do anymore. Please, let me do this one thing that she'd always wanted."

"I'm just worried that you haven't thought all of this through, Roxie."

"But I have. I think that Brady and I could be happy. Maybe we'll even be like you and Mom and fall in love. Who knows, Dad? But I do know that both of us will be happy with each other. We'll both do the best we can for each other. I need your support in this, Daddy. I need to know that you're here in support of me." I took a brief moment to look up at Brady. "Give us just a second, okay?" I whispered. Dad had the hard questions and he wouldn't ask them until he was certain that no one else was around.

Brady leaned down and brushed a kiss over my cheek. "Are you sure?" he breathed into my ear. I nodded and turned my mouth to his cheek and kissed him in return. "I'll go over there," he said, pointing vaguely towards the flower beds. "Just give a holler if you need anything."

"Oh, please, I'm with my Dad," I replied. He just rolled his eyes and began walking away. "What's on your mind, Dad? I know that you don't want to talk to Brady."

"What the hell are you thinking? You hate this boy. You've said that from the time that you were old enough to understand what it was that we wanted you to do with him. Yes, your mother thought that an arranged marriage was a good idea, but you never wanted this. The day that she died, Roxanne, we had talked about letting go of all of this. Yes, we met through an arranged marriage. Yes, we fell in love. We thought that we were doing the best for you by giving you the life that we had, or at least the closest thing to it. But you don't want this. I know that you don't."

"I _didn't_," I corrected. "I thought that you guys were trying to control me, Dad. And I guess, back then, you were. I wish that I could have seen that you guys were doing the best that you could. It was the only thing that you guys knew how to do." I shook my head to myself. "I was stupid, Dad. If I hadn't been so impulsive, Mom would still be alive. I would still have my arms. Things would be so different. Brady feels guilty about everything."

He hadn't said as much, but I could see it in his eyes the last few days. He felt responsible for the death of my mother. He felt guilty because I didn't have my arm and I'd been forced to quit gymnastics. More than anything else, though, I saw his anguish when he realized that I had made a deal with a vampire to protect my family. Somehow, having a vampire thrown in the mix made everything worse for Brady. It tore him apart. "He feels like he should have been nicer to me. If he hadn't been pushing my buttons that day, he thinks that Mom would still have been alive. I think the reality is that both of us were wrong. But Mom always said that I could control my reaction. I couldn't control others'. That was what i'd been fighting for so long. I'd been blaming Brady just as much as he'd been blaming himself for a very long time. I know now that he wasn't wrong; I was."

"You were a little kid, Roxanne. You can't blame yourself for your mother's death."

"We're not having this argument," I practically shouted. I lifted my arm and wrapped it about my waist like I would have if I was crossing my arms. "That's not what I'm trying to say. I'm saying that I did a lot of things that I wish I could change, Dad. One thing that I _can_ change, though, is this." Even as I said the words, I knew that it was true. Beyond the imprint, beyond the inevitable, this was what my mother wanted. And I could give it to her now. "I can change this and give Mom the thing that she's always wanted. Are you really going to stand in my way, Daddy?"

"No," he sighed. He looked over at Brady. He was standing barefoot in the grass, his caramel skin gleaming in the sunshine. His shoulders were broad, long, lean muscles strung along each limb. There was no denying that he was a good looking man. Brady was feigning some interest in his mother's dying plants. "No, I won't stand in your way. But I hope that you'll think this through, Roxie. Don't do something that you won't be happy with. Please."

"I promise Dad," I said.

"I'm heading inside," he said, holding a hand out to me.

I looked back at Brady and shook my head. "I'll — We'll be back in a moment," I said. I waited until my dad was all the way in the house and the door was closed to speak. "You can stop eavesdropping now," I called.

"I wasn't eavesdropping. There's nothing that I can do about my hearing," he replied. "One parent down, one set to go," he added. He held a hand out to me. "The good news is that my parents will be easier to convince that your dad."

"So… I was thinking that before we talk to your parents, we might need to talk about _when_ this whole thing is going to happen," I said. He narrowed his eyes. "We should get this done and over with as soon as possible."

"I think—I need some time, Roxanne. I have to talk to Collin and explain what's going on. So… I was thinking maybe three months."

"You want to wait _three months_?" I repeated in disbelief. He nodded. "I don't want a big wedding, you do know that right? We can go to a city hall and get married."

"You think that you two are getting married in a _civil_ ceremony?" Judith's shrill voice demanded.

Brady looked down at me with a slight laugh in his eyes. "You've done it now."


	28. Chapter XXVII

**Author's Note: The early bird gets the worm... Or in this case the review? Whatever; enjoy!**

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**Chapter XXVII**

As he had predicted, Brady's parents both too the news well. Although, I probably shouldn't use the word Parents. His father didn't seem to care one way or another what we did. His mother, on the other hand, was over the moon. She was so ecstatic, I barely knew what to do with her. She hugged me and danced in circles around me. She talked about how this was what she and my mother had dreamed about since they were little girls. As soon as their marriages happened, they decided that they would have to arrange one between their children. It all seemed so clear to them. After that, there was only one person left to tell.

Cooper.

I thought about waiting until we were face to face to do, but ultimately decided that it'd be easiest to tell him over the phone. At least this way I could hang up on his stupid butt when he wouldn't leave me alone. "I'm just warning you, he'll probably drive out here just to come and smack some sense into me," I said. Brady just laughed. "And then, of course, I have that wonderful meeting with your mother to discuss my wedding dress." Of course, Brady was quick to remind me that I was the one who'd suggested this.

"You'll be fine, Roxanne. She just wants to bring you into the city for a little while. Besides, we also have to talk to your dad about the move."

"Mm," I hummed. "I'm fearing that conversation more than I was telling him about the engagement." He smiled. "All right, go talk to your boyfriend or whatever. I've got call Cooper."

"Is he going to be the maid of honor?" he asked.

"Oh shut up and get out," I muttered. When the door was safely closed, I leaned against it and twirled my phone in my fingers. "Just do it. Just call him and get it over with. He'll laugh, he'll tease you, he'll try to talk you out of it. And then he'll go back to being regular old Cooper," I told myself. I dialed the stupid number and held the phone up to my ear. "Hey Coop," I greeted, forcing brightness into my voice.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately. "I know that voice."

"I did something, Cooper. "

"You had _sex _with him!"

"Oh shut up! You know that I could never do that," I retorted. "I mean, I _could _but that's not way I'm talking about. God you're such a pain in the ass." He laughed at that.

"Okay, well we can't know if you're pregnant yet, so I'm going to give up on guessing what you did," he replied.

"We're getting married," I admitted.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"We're getting married. We had a discussion about everything that happened and — I mean, this is what my mom wanted for us," I replied.

"Bullshit, Roxie. I'm your best friend," he cursed. "What the hell is going on over there? Did your dad catch you two in bed? Just tell him that I already called dibs on you. Tell him I need you to get into my dad's good graces again."

"We both know you don't care if your dad ever likes again," I said, feeling tears begin to clog my throat.

"What's going on? You tell me now or I drive down there _and_ you owe me gas money."

"I can't tell you, Cooper. Not the real story. And you know that I make it a point not to lie to you so that's why I'm telling you this," I breathed into the phone.

"Do you love him, Rox?"

"No."

"Then why the hell are you marrying him? I know that you're mother would have wanted you to go through with this arranged marriage, but haven't I taught you not to give a fuck about parents?" He tried to laugh but something was off in his voice. Just like it always when he talked about his parents. Cooper would never admit that he wanted his father to love him; that he wanted his family back. "I mean, they may think that they know what's best for you but usually, they're wrong."

"They're not wrong about this, Coop."

"Okay, that's it; I'm coming to get you," he announced. "You're talking crazy talk over there. All that La Push air has gone to your head. Besides, you have to be on the boat by three in the morning. It's best if you come home now," he declared.

"I have to go to the city with his mom," I said. "We're going to look at some readymade wedding dresses that we can have altered."

"You have got to be kidding me about this," he said. "You've been there for two days and now you're getting married!"

"You want to be my maid of honor?"

"Of course I want to be your maid of honor!" he shouted at me. "But I want it to be at a real wedding and not this sham."

"It's not a sham, Cooper." I could practically hear him shaking his head. "I don't love him, but I think that I could. I think that, if I have enough time, I could really fall in love with him. There's factors at play here that you don't even know anything about. I can't tell you about them. I really, really wish that I could."

"Secrets aren't a good way to begin a relationship, Roxanne."

"I don't have secrets from him."

"So you're only keeping things from _me_?"

"And my dad and his parents and his brother and pretty much everyone," I replied. "It's not my secret to tell."

"Are you marrying him _because_ of this secret?" he asked then.

"Yes and no," I admitted. "But it's a good thing, Cooper. The secret and the reasons that we're getting married, they're both good things." His breathing was steady on the other end of the phone. "I don't love him. But we were supposed to have an arranged marriage anyways. His secret… It's basically an insurance policy that we're going to fall in love."

"What is it? A love potion?"

"Don't be so sarcastic, Cooper. I'm being serious over here. Everything is going to work out, I promise. But I need you to support me. You're my best friend. I already had to fight my dad tooth and nail, although I will admit that he was easier to convince that I'd thought. Now I have to go shopping with his mom. I need a friend, Cooper. I need you to be behind me on all of this. I've backed you everywhere that I could, even when your mom tried to send you to that camp to cure homosexuality. I'm sure you remember that, right? You moved in with me and my dad and your mother actually threatened to have me brought up on kidnapping charges."

"She came around eventually," he argued.

"Yeah and this will all work out, too. I know that you don't believe me, but I swear to you. This wouldn't be happening if there wasn't a good reason. You know me, Cooper. You _know_ me. I don't do things without thinking them through. This is a good decision."

I heard a heavy sigh on the other side. Then there was nothing. I pulled my phone away from my ear to make sure that he hadn't hung up on me, but the watch was still counting the seconds that we'd been arguing. "If you make me wear a good awful ugly color, I will object when they ask," he finally said. I gave a breathy laugh, a cross between disbelief and _re_lief that he was going to stand by me. "And unless one of his friends is gay, you better not make me walk down the aisle with someone. I will not be going down there with some girl."

"I know; you're gay and proud," I said. "And I promise that you will get to pick out the colors for your tie. But you're going to have to wear the same color tux as everyone else. You know how much I like uniformity." He sighed resignedly, like he wasn't the least bit happy about having to blend in with everyone else.

"God, you're really doing this," he muttered. "We can't even have alcohol since neither one of you is going to be twenty-one. Wait, when is this magical affair?"

"Three months. That's the best I can give you. We haven't picked a date _date_ yet," I explained.

"Forces me to blend in, but can't give me the actual date of her wedding. God, you're such a pain," he mimicked. I rolled my eyes.

"Thank you, Cooper. We appreciate it," I replied. "I'll call you later when we're on our way home."

"Okay. Love you." I pulled my phone away from my ear. "Wait, wait, wait!" he screamed. "Are any of his friends gay?"


	29. Chapter XXVIII

**Author's Note: My updating is a little late tonight. There's a chance that the last chapter will be up ****_after_**** midnight, but it will be up before I go to bed. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XXVIII**

Thankfully, Brady was able to convince his mother that we could always go shopping another day. After all, we had three months of planning ahead of us. "Roxanne has work in the morning," Brady said. I shot him a fearful look. Had he really overheard that much of my conversation? I hoped not. If he did, he'd know how close I'd come to tell Cooper the truth. Not that I ever would. I knew better than to think that it was something that I could tell him. I couldn't tell Cooper about it. He would never understand.

My father packed up the car, refusing my help. Brady did help him, though, which was good. I didn't want my dad to have to load everything on his own. I hugged Tim and the Blackstones before passing each individual to my father. Then the uncomfortable moment happened. I stood in front of Brady, wondering what kind of embrace people were going to expect. I stepped up to his chest, fully intending to press my lips against his and accept anything that could come. It was only far. We were engaged, after all.

Brady dropped his arms around my waist, pressing my face down into his ribcage. For a brief moment, I hated being short. His shoulders seemed to close around me a little, like being wrapped in sweater. I liked being this short. I liked having my head pressed against his sternum, his shoulders closed around me. "I'm not kissing you until you actually want it, Roxanne," he whispered. In my head, I was laughing at him because he'd already kissed me once. And the last time, I'd been pretty well naked. Okay, I had been naked, but at least he hadn't seen anything. He kissed my cheek. "Drive safe."

My father didn't say anything about Brady one our drive home, which was good since he'd been the one insisting that we leave early. It was incredible how much a life could change in two days. I had come to La Push an angry, bitter girl who was expecting hell from the guy she'd tortured in her childhood. I was leaving an angry, bitter _engaged _girl who was the soulmate to the guy she'd tortured in her childhood. No wonder Coop thought it was necessary to come and check on me. I sounded like something out of a cheesy romance novel.

The next morning, my alarm clock went off. I groaned and rolled over, wishing that I could go back to sleeping in at La Push. "Roxanne," Cooper hissed. "Come on. We have to go. Wake up sleepy head." I tried to tell him to go away, but my voice seemed to drown out against my pillows. "I'll even help you do you hair," he enticed. I could do it myself, but it always came out better when someone else could do it for me. "We need to pull the those traps in. Some of us didn't get the weekend off."

"Go away," I snarled even as I was pushing myself up off the bed. I fumbled with a hair tie on my wrist, looking at the purple mark that was left from sleeping with my rubber band on my wrist. "Remind me again why I do this for you?" I demanded, scrubbing at my eyes.

"Because you're the best friend in the entire world," he said. "My mom's dream was to break out and start her own business. She just has no idea what she's doing."

"Neither did we when we started this mess," I retorted. "If it wasn't for the child support and the spousal support, that boat would have been docked for good two years ago. We make no money doing this."

"What are you going to tell your future hubby about the boat?" he asked. I groaned. I had known that we would have to talk about Brady eventually. I had just been hoping for a little break from it. "We did agree that you would help my mom with the business for the first five years and if it sinks you could be done."

"The deal did not include the boat sinking. You said that I had to help you for five years and then I could be done."

"You've still got another three years with me," he pointed out. "Besides, he gets you for a lifetime."

"He isn't going to capture me and lock me under ground, you bozo," I snapped, pulling myself into the car. I started the ignition, putting the heat on full blast to warm us. "I am not his property. I will be his wife. And regardless of all that, crabbing and fishing is hardly how I pictured my future," I pointed out.

"You can't be a neurosurgeon with only one arm, Roxie," he laughed.

"I don't want to be a _surgeon_. I want to be a consultant. I want to be an inventor, a researcher. I want people like us to have fully functioning limbs again."

"I know. I've heard the schtick a million times now. My next question is how you plan to tell your little hubby man that you want to go to school for the next zillion years," he pointed out. I was half asleep while I drove to the wharf. "We both know that you can't work while you're studying medicine and engineering."

"_Biomedical_ engineering," I corrected. "And like I said, Brady doesn't own me. He can't tell me that I can't go to school or that I can't continue working on this stupid ass boat with you."

"The _Lazy Susan _doesn't appreciate being called stupid," he replied. "She's a beauty. She just needs a crew that doesn't look like the kraken spat them out after he picked his teeth with them." A wonderful, yet apt, description of what the two of us looked like every time we had to haul things over the side of the damn boat. "One of the reasons that my mom was so unhappy—park over there—was because my father wanted them to have their own separate lives and still present a united front. Roxie, marriage is supposed to be a partnership. If you're not willing to compromise with the boy, then you need to promise me that you won't get married."

"I do know what a good marriage should look like. My parents were relatively normal, remember?"

"They don't count. Their marriage was arranged. They turned eighteen and they got married. That's not the way things are supposed to work."

"Yeah, I suppose a courtship and divorce is much better."

"There's that biting wit," he praised.

The two of us went about our normal routine, getting the boat out to our traps. I pulled the buoy up until the rope fell over the side. "You get it started and I can get it in," I called. Starting to pull them in was too hard. There wasn't enough rope to step on. But when the crate finally made it to the boat, it was just as difficult for me to pull it over. Both jobs needed to be done by Cooper. I could do the things in the interim, though.

I heaved the rope and stepped on the end of it to keep it from sliding away. I pulled a little more, the muscles of my arm on full display under my long sleeve shirt. The salty air sprayed my faces we continued pulling. "All right, hook it up!" I shouted. Cooper hooked everything together while I moved around the ship to begin lifting the damn thing. "I'm just saying that I'm pretty sure it's against the law for two cripples to be working a crabbing boat," I said. Cooper sighed, knowing that it was only the first time that I would say the phrase.

When we finally got to a breaking point, he looked over at me. "What are we doing after this?" he asked.

"Sleeping." He narrowed his eyes. "Tomorrow, though, we have to go to lunch with Judith Blackstone. She wants to talk about the wedding and stuff. Oh, and we're going dress shopping on Thursday." He squealed like a girl and muttered something about a sweetheart neckline being flattering. "I swear on my life, Cooper, I will kill you _and_ disinvite you if you get all girly on me."

"You love him and you know you do."

"I don't love him. But there's no fighting it, so we might as well just get married," I shrugged. "Besides, he's a nice enough guy. He isn't trying to push me or hurt me or anything. Hell, he wouldn't even kiss me yesterday because he wanted it to happen when _I_ want it. At least he's being considerate. He could be a complete ass. And he's not all that bad to look at, really. It helps that he's being nice, though. I suppose he's a little tall."

"Oh my God!" he shouted.

"What?" I started.

"You're falling in love with him!"


	30. Chapter XXIX

**Author's Note: Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XXIX**

Planning the wedding was my least favorite chore of any day. It didn't matter if i was alone, with Cooper, with Judith, or with the both of them. I hated having to plan for a wedding. I wanted to spend my time reading the newest articles about brain maps, not figuring out what color I wanted for the theme of the wedding. It seemed the every day brought a new question to mind. "Roxie," my father called about two weeks after the engagement. We were to have a proper announcement and a party, so my life had been swallowed by those plans for the moment. Now, the only chance that I had gotten to read about brain mapping, I was to be interrupted. "Someone's here to see you."

I turned over my shoulder to find Brady looking down at me bemusedly. "Hi," I said, feeling a little shy. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "What, um, what are you doing here?" I asked. My father backed himself out of the room, slowly and with a glaring eye at Brady. "I thought we weren't going to see each other until tomorrow."

"Do I need a reason to come and see my fiancee?" he asked. I narrowed my eyes. "Go get dressed. Warm." He took my hand in his and began pulling me from the chair. "We need to get out of here in about twenty minutes. Can you be ready by then?" Still suspicious, I nodded. "Then get on with it. I'll wait in the living room with your father." Since it was becoming clear to me that he wasn't going to tell me what we were doing, I went and got dressed, stripping out of my yoga pants and tank top ensemble.

I pulled on a pair of basic dark wash skinny-leg jeans and a v-necked t-shirt, tossing on a cardigan over that. "Are you going to tell me what we're doing or should I guess?" I asked him. He rose from his place on the sofa, a smile lighting his eyes. His gaze roamed over mine approvingly before he gave a nod. "I'm glad I don't disappoint," I muttered. His smile dropped to a frown immediately.

"You'd never disappoint. Mr. Potts, my mother was hoping that Roxanne could spend the night at our home tonight. Since you two were planning on coming up tomorrow."

My father looked relatively underwhelmed while he waved us off. I frowned a little, looking back at the computer. I just wanted to finish my article. Was it really so difficult to find some time to myself? Before this damn engagement, I'd been able to do anything that I wanted. "Come on, Roxanne. We should get going." The way he said it immediately set me on edge. I frowned a little, feeling like he was telling me what to do. "Please? I think you'll enjoy what we're going to do." I sighed and mumbled something about him being a brat and took his hand.

He walked me to the driveway, where I was expecting to see his car parked. Instead, the motorcycle was gleaming in the sunlight, red paint and all. "I'm not going with you," I said immediately. I'd never been on a motorcycle before and I had no intention of changing that now. I took a step back from him. "Nope. I'll walk to La Push." He actually laughed at that. "Better yet, I'll call Cooper and we can go take his car, if you're truly set on going where ever it is we're going."

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Roxanne. I promise. We're just going for a little drive. You'll be safe," he said.

"I've already lost one arm. I can't risk the other one," I said, pulling the limb to my stomach like I could protect it. "I don't know if you've looked at fatalities and limb losses in motorcycle accidents, ut they are significantly higher than those of cars." He looked at me with his head cocked to the side, like I was going to change my mind just from his stare. "I'm not getting on that thing."

"Just give it a try," he enticed. "We'll just go down the road and if you're that terrified, then we'll come back here and I'll ask your father for his car. That just means we have to drive all the way back here before going to La Push tonight." I nodded eagerly at that suggestion. "Okay. You get scared, just give my jacket a tug." I nodded again. There was some amusement sparkling in his eyes again. I was slowly finding that I liked that look much better than when he was serious. What was more, I liked being the cause of that twinkle.

He slipped the helmet over my head and slipped my arms into a jacket of his. "Why do I have to wear this thing?" I asked him.

"It's a riding jacket. You're already wearing boots, so your feet should be this. It's just a protective measure."

"Shouldn't you be wearing it?" I asked him.

"Not when you're on the back of the bike," he replied. He slid the visor down over my eyes and pulled his own helmet on. He straddled the bike and looked over at me, his muscles bulging ever so slightly. I really needed to stop noticing things like that about him. It wasn't going to help me keep my resolve in staying in control of my life. He looked at me expectantly. I'm sure if I could see his mouth, there would be a bemused smile lingering there.

Hesitantly, I swung my leg over the bike, leaning my chest against his back. I rested my hand against his waist, settling my feet on the little posts available to me. Brady's warm, callused hand gripped mine and pulled it all the way around to rest on his stomach. I fisted my hand around the fabric there, clutching myself to him.

The bike roared to life. I gripped his shirt tighter and began to tug. "I haven't even started moving yet!" The words sounded muffled by the helmet and the bike's engine. He shut it off and turned to look at me. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. If you'll just trust me." I nodded and let him turn back to the bike. He started it again, but this time I didn't flinch. The boy fought vampires, for goodness sakes. He could stop us from being on a motorcycle, right?

No matter how many times the urge came, I forced myself _not_ to tug on his shirt front. He wouldn't let anything harm me. He was confident in himself and had still given me his jacket to wear to keep me safe. Of course, his jacket was part of my problem. It was like him hug me, like he had when I'd left La Push a week ago. It smelled like him, too. It was strange how nice the scent was, especially mingled with my soap. It was lemon and clean and spicy, with a touch of forest and sweat.

Before I knew it, Brady was pulling off of whatever road we were on. I had kept my helmeted cheek pressed into his back to avoid seeing how fast we were going. Fortunately, most of the drive had been straight which meant I didn't have to deal with the fear of turning often. It wasn't really terrible to have to ride the bike. I'd held onto him the whole time, which wasn't an entirely uncomfortable experience. In fact, with the bike came to a stop, I wasn't ready to let go of him. "You can open your eyes now," he laughed. "We're parked."

"I did not have my eyes closed," I muttered.

"Yeah, sure," he replied. His arm bent back at a weird angle to grip my arm and help me off the bike. "See now? It wasn't all that bad, right?" I nodded begrudgingly. I turned to look around, finding that we were at the Forks ice rink. Forks was one of the small cities that had most ever amenity that people could need. Including a great gymnastics facility located right next door to where we were. Brady followed my gaze. "I'm sorry; I didn't even think about the fact that we'd be right here."

I shrugged. "It's not like I haven't been by this place before," I replied. "I used to come by after it first happened. Just to see my friends. Then it just started to hurt."

"Because they replaced you," he filled in. I nodded. "Well, we're not going over there. We're heading this way," he said. He took the helmet from my hand and threaded our fingers together. "When we were little, you said that you wanted to go ice skating one day."

"But I wasn't allowed," I nodded, remembering the conversation. "Because coach couldn't risk us getting hurt."

"Come on," he smiled.

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**Every couple needs to go on at least****_ one _****date, right? **


	31. Chapter XXX

**Author's Note: It's been a while since we heard from Brady, don't you agree? Enjoy!**

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**Chapter XXX:****_ Brady's Point of View_**

I'd made the decision, as we pulled to a stop, that I was never going to take anything but my bike again. Other than her night of torment, when we'd talked about her vampire past, I had no excuses to truly hold her against me. The hug had been great, but nothing compared to what I wanted. I wanted her to kiss me, like she had in the bathroom that afternoon. I didn't wanted her to feel pressured, though. Which meant that, for both our sakes, I was going to take this as slow as possible.

I hadn't thought about the need to be right next to her gym until I saw the look of desolate sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry; I didn't even think about the fact that we'd be right here," I admitted. I think her shrug was worse than if she had yelled at me. In fact, I would've preferred anything to her silence.

"It's not like I haven't been by this place before," she whispered. "I used to come by after it first happened. Just to see my friends." She shrugged again. I don't think she realized when she did that. It was like a way to pretend that nothing was wrong. "Then it just started to hurt." I heard her voice crack a little as she spoke. I almost smiled, because I realized the importance of the moment. She'd never admitted things like this to me before. I had hope that she was trusting me when she said stuff like this.

"Because they replaced you." She nodded. I wondered for a brief moment what that felt like to her. She'd spent hour upon hours training with these girls. They were her family; her people; her friends. And just like that, she was out of the ring. "Well, we're not going over there," I finally announced. "We're heading this way." I don't think she realized how easily she let me take hold of her hand now. It was like she was silently trusting me. I suppose she was. Her mind, however, was another question. "When we were little, you said that you wanted to go ice skating one day." God knows I had thought over every single conversation that we'd ever had, scouring my brain for the perfect way to show her I cared.

"But I wasn't allowed," she replied with a nod. I doubt that she realized that her eyes crinkled when she was thinking hard. "Because coach couldn't risk us getting hurt." Good; she knew what I was talking about.

"Come on," I said, tugging on her arm. She stumbled a step forward and more into my embrace. "We won't be interrupted, so feel free to fall on your ass as much as you'd like." She snorted and rolled her eyes. I decided that there was something wrong with me if I found _that_ look attractive. "Do you understand now why I asked you to wear warm clothing?"

"You're going to be falling just as much as I will," she retorted. "I'm sure of it." I bit my lip to keep from telling her about the hockey team. Although we weren't much of a team, if truth be told. It was just something that I'd picked up from my father and never let go of. "So, out of curiosity, how far back in your memory did you have to go to find this?" she asked, following me up the stairs. I frowned at her. "There's no way that you actually pay attention to every conversation we've had."

"It wasn't very difficult," I said but she didn't look convinced. "Okay, so it took some thinking. Does it really matter _how_ I got us here? We're here. And I, for one, am looking forward to watching you fall on your ass."

"That sounds like a dare, Blackstone," she countered.

"Dares are for children with the petty desire to prove their betrothed wrong," I reply. "Adults use bets." She laughed, the musical tinkling a song in itself. "Now, how about we make a bet? Whoever lands on the ice the most in the first five minutes has to give the winner a kiss." She narrowed her eyes and nodded. "And not just a little kiss. A real one. Agreed?"

"Fine, fine, whatever," she said. I tried to keep my grin to myself, knowing that this was one bet I was going to win. "We should get skates on." I couldn't help but detect a certain smugness about her. I narrowed my eyes for a second, but was distracted when she began jogging up the stars. She stopped at the counter and turned back to wait for me, a smile on her perfect lips. "Are you coming or what slow poke?" she teased.

I smiled and rolled my eyes, taking the stares two at a time. "Hey Claire," I greeted the girl behind the desk. I held up two fingers. Quil's imprint looked at me and then at the girl that I was destined to be with for the rest of my life. She'd met her the weekend past and undoubtedly heard that we were going to be married. I couldn't see whatever Roxanne did, but it made the twelve-year-old giggle. She didn't bother to look down at Roxanne's feet, only lift two pairs of skates for us. "Come on then," I said.

I helped her with her skates, loving the feel of her beneath my hands. We quickly took to the ice. "Shake on it!" she called. I frowned again. "On our bet. You shake on it before we start this." Whatever. I held my hand out to hers. She shook it firmly, her green-brown eyes wide with innocence. We shoved out onto the ice. Roxanne clung tightly to the railing, holding herself up. I shoved out, skating in easy circles.

"I couldn't help myself," I admitted at her look of surprise. Her smile turned from stunner to downright mischievous. She shoved away from the wall and leaned forward more than most. I reached out the catch her until I realized that she was skating easily. She spun in a easy circle around me. "You lied to me," I accused.

"I never said that I'd never been skating," I replied. "Besides, you didn't tell me that you could skate either.

"You're in so much trouble," I threatened.

"You'd have to catch me first," she said. Her eyes narrowed with that impish light in them. She took the edge of her lip between her lip, a slight smile playing on the other side.

"I don't think that'd be a problem," I said confidently. Her eyebrows lifted a little, like she was giving me the chance to take back the statement. When I remained silent for too long, she pushed off her skate. Her left hand planted on my chest and shoved roughly. I fell back on my ass. I was thankful for the wolf healing when I saw the purple bruise begin bubbling up on my wrist. She stayed only long enough to see my stunned face. And then she tore across the empty rink.

"You are in so much trouble," I shouted. Like a skilled figure skater, she spun around in a half turn, now skating backwards.

"That's one fall for you," she said, a giggle in her throat.

"That doesn't count as a fall. You pushed me!" I shouted after her, shredding the ice as I headed in her direction. She must have anticipated it, though, because when she was within grabbing distance, she took off again. "How did you get this good?" I asked her, feigning breathless after several rounds of chasing her.

"I wanted to be an Olympian, remember? When I lost my arm, I looked at other sports. I spent three years training in figure skating, but I'd started to old. Besides, the aerodynamics were off with only one arm," she explained. "And I could forget pairs skating, not that I really had any interest in that." She was swirling around, her fingers running around the railing as she skated. "I tried a lot of stuff. But most Olympic athletes start so young, it was going to be near impossible for me to break into them." She shrugged, like it didn't effect her. "Are you ready to apologize?" she asked.

"Apologize for what?" I asked on a laugh, coming up beside her.

"You played me," she said, lightly shoving me away. "You made that bet because you thought you were going to win."

"And you accepted because you thought you were going to win."

She began skating a little faster, ducking under my arm and making it to the center of the ice. "First of all, I _am_ winning. The bet was whoever hit the ice more. Unfortunately, I'm winning. And second of all, I just wanted to see the look on your face when you realized you were wrong." I shook my head.

"I think I'd better even up the score," I said, rushing at her. She gave a sound that was half giggle, half shriek and tried to dart away, but I was too close. I hooked an arm about her waist and hauled her against me. With a groan, we landed, me hitting the ice to absorb the shock. "Ow," I muttered, but the sound was lost on a laugh. She was still giggling ridiculously, her face buried against my neck from the land.

"You know what this means, right?" she said. I frowned at her. "I won." I almost wanted to cry. I wasn't going to force her to collect on something that she didn't want. She shoved to her feet, my disappointment almost palpable. I joined her standing upright, beginning to skate away from her. She slid her way over to me, gripping the fabric of my opened button-up shirt in her hand. "I'm collecting," she whispered, her mouth only inches below mine.


	32. Chapter XXXI

**Author's Note: Okay, all! Here's the next chapter. Let me know what you're thinking. Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Chapter XXXI**

I didn't know who the girl who had taken control of my body was, but she couldn't possible be me. This girl actually had the confidence to think that she could kiss her fiancé, who she probably shouldn't be kissing, without the fear of being rejected. Unfortunately, this demon possessing me was only so confident. I had gripped his shirt and pulled him close, felt both of his arms drop around my waist, but I didn't know how to initiate this kiss. "Then you should collect," he said, his hands now threaded together at the base of my spine.

"I don't know how," I admitted. The smile that he sent me was breathtaking. I pulled my lip between my teeth and looked at him. "I've never done anything like this, Brady," I breathed. He smiled at me. "The bet was that you give _me_ a kiss," I added with a smile, realizing that I had just found my out. I had no idea what I was doing. "I'm collecting," I said again, a smile on my face. His own turned into an expression that melted my heart from the inside out.

The only thing that this kiss shared in common with our other one was the feel of his arms around me. He wasn't in a hurry or trying to be possessive this time, although I wouldn't have been upset if he had been. No, this time it was persuasive. Almost like he was trying to _convince_ me that I should be letting him kiss me. But some primal part of me understood that kissing him was right, understood better than I did. His mouth slanted over mine, taking me deeper into his embrace. The only way it could have been more perfect would be for music to swell in the background, like something out of a film.

The girl that was confident fled my skin and reality smashed into me like a tidal wave. I pulled away from him quickly, the motion jerky and leaving a popping sound in its wake. Both of us were breathing heavily. At least I knew he could be winded. His earlier attempt at feigning exhaustion had been nearly pathetic. "I'm sorry," I muttered, pulling my hand from his shirt and bringing the tips of my fingers to my mouth.

"I'm not," he replied. I bit my lip again. "I'm never going to be sorry for kissing you, Roxanne. I'll only be sorry if I scare you away."

That brought a smile to my face again. "You're not getting rid of me that ease," I teased. I don't think that he realized that his arms tightened infinitesimally around me, but he began to haul me just a little closer. "We should get back to skating," I whispered shyly. I half expected him to tell me no. Better yet, I thought that he would tell me that I was going to be his wife, so he could do what he wished.

So I was shocked to find that he didn't say anything to me. He smiled and stood away from me, pulling my hand into his and pushing off. "So, I was thinking," he began after a few moments, "that we know a lot about each other. But things change and it's been five or six years since we really talked." I nodded and kept skating along. "So, in the spirit of our childishness." He pushed away from me and hurried to the far side of the arena, pulling out two hockey sticks. "Whoever scores gets to ask any question."

He dropped the puck onto the ice. "I don't play hockey," I replied, backing away from the little black thing on the ice. "Which means that you're going to ask all the questions and I'm going to lose."

He shrugged. "I'll have to even up the score somehow. You did win the _ice-on-ass_ competition." I grinned unrepentantly. "Come on; I'll go easy on you. I'll do it with one arm behind my back." He pulled his arm behind his back and beamed at me.

"You're such an ass."

"You're the one marrying me," he pointed out. He tossed the stick towards me, but I think he was surprised that I could catch it without incident. He lightly passed the puck over to me. I stopped it, though it slid away from me ever so slightly. "I'll give you a freebee," he enticed. I lifted my stick like I had seen the actors in the movies do and slapped the puck into the net. "What's your question?" he said when we both saw the net tug back a little bit. I drummed my fingers on my chin while I thought about what I wanted to know about him.

"Why don't you call me Roxie, like everyone else?" I asked. It wasn't the most important thing in the world, but important enough.

"We're not that familiar yet," he said, digging the puck out of the goal. "Everyone that calls you that knows you Roxie. They're your friends. I'm just the wolf that you're marrying. So until we get to that point, I'm not going to call you Roxie." I nodded.

There was a slapping sound. The puck scurried across the ice and made it straight into the goal. "That's cheating. I didn't know you were going to do that," I argued.

"My point. My turn." I looked expectantly at him. "Why do you want to marry me? The real reason, not just because you think that it will get there eventually." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Yes, I know you're hiding something. Please tell me."

"I need to be away from my dad," I admitted. "Not just because of the overbearing and the overprotectiveness. That vampire comes to check in with me, to make sure I know that he owns me. But every time that he does, my dad is in danger. I know that it's silly, but—but I know that you'll be able to protect me. And if I'm in La Push, then that thing won't come after me." His lips twitched in a little smile, like he was happy that I was willing to put some kind of trust in him. I dipped in and took hold of the puck, wishing that I had my other arm to help me lift the stick and push the puck around.

He rushed at me and tried to steal the puck. Eventually, he just snaked an arm about my waist and lifted me off my feet and stole the puck. It slid easily into the goal. "My point." I shook my head on a laugh. He set me back down, his feet splayed out while he skated a narrow circle around me. "What was it that you were reading on the computer and why?"

"That's two questions," I pointed out. He skated away from me and pushed the black piece of rubber into his goal again. "I was reading about brain mapping. Neuroscientists are trying to figure out how to make functional limbs for amputees. You see, the brain has these connections that don't look like anything. But the more that they're studying, they're finding that these connections make it so that people who are paraplegic or paralyzed or are missing limbs could get remote prosthetics. Like fingers that could actually curl around an object. Legs that are almost robotic." His eyes weren't confused by what I was saying. In fact, he looked like he was interested in what I was saying. "I read about these things because that's what I want to school for. I was to be a neuroscientist. More precisely, a researcher. I want these ideas to become a reality. For people like me and for the little girl who lost her leg when she was a kid. For the paralyzed man who can't even navigate his own wheelchair. Things can get better, if we're willing to keep reading, to study and find out," I explained. I shoved him to the ground again and shot the puck. Satisfied, I looked at him. "My point."

He laughed and opened his arms wide as an invitation for me to continue. "How do you now how to play hockey?" I asked.

He pushed to his feet and began playing with the hockey puck, just going round and round in the rink. "My dad's was Forks firefighter. He's retired now," he explained. "Firefighters in Washington state have a hockey league, just a friendly little game. One game out of the season is devoted to us kids. It's a way for us to get together with the guys that our parents fight with. Now, we're all adults. Some of them go to school at the University, but most of us stayed here. We get together once a week for practice. Although we mostly just beat each other with sticks," he shot the goal again. "My point."

"It's cheating when I'm not there to stop it," I said shouted. He laughed at me. "What's your question, you brat?"

"Why did you tell me about your deal with that vampire?" he asked. I stopped. I hadn't expected us to get quite so serious. I skated towards him, delving deep to find the girl inside me who was confident enough to say the things that the real me couldn't. The real me couldn't let something this important get out. Because it would be beyond painful when he had to leave me, when he realized that I'm not worth his time.

I dug my toe pick in a few inches from him. "Because I think that I can trust you."


	33. Chapter XXXII

**Author's Note: Here we go! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXXII**

"Aren't we going home?" I asked. We had returned our skates to Claire and were walking, still hand in hand, towards his bike. But he didn't stop and grab the helmets. Instead, all he did was make sure that everything was locked up nice and tight. "Brady?" He didn't say anything, just kept walking, our hands swinging in the space between us. "Where are we going?" I asked. He just ignored me. I finally fell into silence. He wouldn't tell me anything until he wanted to. I followed along, managing not to stumble over the rocks and pebbles.

"Hey Mom," Brady called into the restaurant. Judith bustled out from behind the counter and took me into her arms. I didn't remember her owning a restaurant. Looking around the little place, I could see how it was Judith's though. It was warm and homey in shades of red and orange and brown. White flowers hung around the establishment, giving it a little lightness in the middle of it all. "Mom bought this place after Dad retired. They went through a bit of a rough patch," he reached into my ear, so low his mother had no hope of hearing.

He slid his hand down my back. I was shocked when I felt the chicken skin start to ripple over my arms and shoulders. I shouldn't be reacting like this to him. "I guess that's something else you don't known, huh?" he commented as he led me towards a small double booth in the back of the restaurant. "We're far enough away here that no one will hear us when we talk," he whispered. I nodded. "So, after your mom died, our family went through a bit of a rough patch. Dad retired because he thought that Mom would want hi to be there for for her, but all it did was cause a strain.

"For a while there, I thought my parents were going to get a divorced. My mom moved out and went to live with my grandparents. Everything was so complicated back then. Eventually, Mom bought this place," he motioned around him. "Dad started coming in to talk to her about anything, really. He sat himself down and stayed, from opening to closing. Mom gave up on the silent treatment and started talking to him again. Eight months later, Tim was born," he shrugged.

"I didn't know about any of that," I whispered. He shrugged again and reached behind him to grab a menu. His fingers brushed across mine as I took it from him. "So, what's good here?" I asked him. He just snatched the menu back from me. "What are you doing? I haven't even looked at it yet!" I protested. He just looked at me. "I'm not a mind reader. What does that look mean?" I asked him. He replaced the menus. "You're very cryptic in a silent way," I muttered. "Are you going to tell me what that look means or should I assume my food is poisoned?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked instead.

"I already told you that I do," I muttered so quietly, I was hoping her wouldn't hear it.

"You said you _think_ you do." I nodded. "I'm asking you to be _sure_ that you do."

"Fine, I trust you." I threw my hand in the air. He smiled at me. "What does trust have to do with anything?"

"Mom, we'll have two of my regulars," he said over his shoulder. I narrowed my eyes at him. "It's delicious. Just a little messy." I pursed my lips together to let him know just how unsure I was about it all. "How's the dress coming?" he asked politely.

"Your mother loves it," I replied. He frowned then, his head cocked to the side.

"And you?" he asked. I shrugged. "What do you think of your dress?"

"It's a little more ostentatious than what I would have picked out." He was still staring at me. There was something about the piercing gaze that made it difficult to lie to him. It was like his espresso brown eyes could see when I was lying. "Not to give anything away, but it's strapless. And I think that it brings unnecessary attention to my…nub." HIs eyes lit up as he realized what I was talking about, the problem finally dawning on him. "If I had my way, though, I'd be walking down the aisle with a hoody pulled over my dress, so I can't really complain." His eyebrows came together again. "Cooper agreed to be my maid of honor," I said. "So his tie will match your best man's. And don't worry, they don't have to walk down the aisle together or anything." That teasing glint jumped into his eyes again.

The food came out then, along with two sodas. The burger that was set down in front of me might now have been a burger. It looked like something that had crawled out of the swamp and landed itself on a toasted hamburger bun. "What is this?" I asked him, but he had already delved into his. Mushrooms fell out the back and landed with a splat on his plate. I heard a crunch sound that was too think to be onions. "Brady what is on this thing?" He didn't answer me. So hesitantly, I lifted half of the burger to my mouth.

Bacon, onion, mushroom and beef filled my mouth. The bun crunched, as if it had been toasted. I suppose it would have to be in order to hold up al the stuff on it without becoming a soggy mess. I tasted barbecue sauce and cheese next. It was like the ultimate man burger. I placed my half back on the plate and watched as Brady sopped up some of the drippy, greasy mess with a french fry. "When my mom finally let my dad back in, he used to make me stay at night on Sundays. After we'd finished cleaning for the day, we would use whatever was going to expire that night and make something to eat. This was promising," he explained, lifting the burger in a kid of salut. "Mom refused to put it on her menu because it's such a mess. Dad calls it the sink bomb burger. All in all, just a lot of deliciousness," he explained. He devoured his burger happily while I could only manage half of it. I found myself craving broccoli or something green for the first time in my life. Since the end of my gym career, that hadn't happened.

"Are you going to finish that?" Brady asked me around a mouth full of fries.

"Don't touch my fries," I cautioned, "but you can have the other half of the burger." He pulled the meat and bread from my plate faster than I could see. Before long, it joined his dinner as well. I picked the fries one at a time and watched him eat. "So, I was thinking that maybe you and I could sit down after the party this weekend. I have some things I'd like to talk to you about." He stopped eating.

"Like what?" he asked cautiously.

"Nothing bad. At least, I don't think it's bad," I replied. "Were you worried?"

"When a girl says anything similar to the phrase _we need to talk_, most guys freak out a little bit," he replied. "What is it that you're wanting to talk about?" he asked, still fearful.

"It's just wedding stuff. We have to decide what we're doing for desert and drinks. And then there's wedding colors that we have to talk about. Getting the guys ties won't be difficult, but I don't want it to be _my_ wedding," I explained. He smiled a little. "And then there's some… That is to say that I— After we're married, Brady, there are things that I want us to discuss about how that's going to work. I have promises that i've made and things I like to do. I understand that —"

"Hey, hey," he said, reaching over and grabbing my hand. "I"m not going to take things away from you. If there's one thing that I've learned from my parents marriage, it's that you can't force people to do things or give them up. It's about compromise. I don't plan on our marriage being all give and no take, Roxanne." I smiled. "Are you sure you don't want to talk before? We can go through the stuff before the party. We'll take a walk or something," he replied.

"I don't want to argue about things when we've both got to go home to the same house."

"And you call me cryptic," he replied. "Are you planning an argument?" he asked then. I shrugged. "You have a way of saying a lot with that little move," he said, waving a hand over my shoulders.

"I don't know if you're going to like what I have to say, that's all," I admitted.

His eyebrows drew together like he was thinking a lot about what to say next. "Mom's working late today," he began slowly. "And Dad takes Tim out and about. So why don't you and I grab whatever planning book you've got and head down the beach. The sunset is great from the rocks," he suggested.

"Brady —"

"Please?"

How did on possible say no to someone like that? "You ready to go?" he asked when I nodded.


	34. Chapter XXXIII

**Author's Note: I sat down last night to post the chapters... and fell asleep. So you'll have to excuse my sleepiness. Sorry about that. But enjoy!**

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**Chapter XXXIIII**

We walked hand in hand down to beach. Brady had been telling the truth; it was quite beautiful. He helped me up onto the rocks, settling me beside him. "Will you tell me what's going on now?" he asked. His voice was quiet, but there was a command that was unmistakable. I wondered, briefly, if this was what I could expect for the rest of my life. Would ever command he gave be phrased as a question? Would it always sound like I had a choice when, in fact, he was the one making the decisions?

"Cooper, as much as I love him, has never been one for planning." I sighed and rolled my eyes. Brady looked slightly confused, but said nothing. "His mom was desperate for something to call her own after the divorce. The church excommunicated her for taking Coop's side. They said that she was an faithless wife. They argued that she should have been stood by her husband regardless of anything that happened. She lost all her friends, her family, the life that she'd known. Everything. All to stick by her son." I smiled then because I knew that my mother would have done the same.

"She bought a boat and decided to start crabbing and fishing." The words sounded laughable as they came out of my mouth. No one just decided that they wanted to start a life of crabbing. It was grueling days and laborious work. "But she couldn't do it. It was her and Cooper at the beginning. And then somewhere along the line, I got roped into this mess. I promised the both of them that I would work, although I might call it slavery, for the first five years. If business failed, that was it. But I promise five years."

I waited patiently for him to say something. I thought about how I could argue my way out of this when he told me that he couldn't do this for me. "You work on a crabbing ship?" he asked, somewhat in disbelief. I licked my libs, shrugged, and finally nodded. "There has to be some kind of safety hazard with that." I shrugged again because I truly didn't know. If there was, Cooper and I had been getting away with it for a few years. "Wait a second, you and _Cooper_ work this ship?"

"It's small," I said. "Once we're out, we can do it on our own. Coop always says that we look like the kraken tasted and decided it didn't like." He didn't laugh like I had expected. In fact, he looked a little upset by it. "Come on, Brady. You can't take it seriously forever. You've got six years of jokes to make up for and a lifetime left to make." His frown turned more severe. "If you can't laugh about it, Brady, how are you supposed to get through it all? Amputation isn't a walk in the park and laughter is the best medicine."

"I have no intentions of teasing you for something that was _my_ fault," he replied. I let my head fall back against his shoulder, exasperated. He wasn't going to let this go. "I'm confused about what you're asking me for, Roxanne."

"I'm asking you because, well because I made a promise, Brady. I told him mother five years. And I know that as your wife, I should give up those things. Because that's the way it is. We're supposed to leave our lives behind and start anew. But in truth, his mom has been through so much and —"

"You can keep working, Roxanne," he interrupted. "I'd like to come out and help, one day, if you don't mind." Now it was my turn to frown. "You're my imprint, which means that my _job_ is to keep you safe. I mean, I have a real job to. But I'd quit all of that if I could keep you safe. I just want to make sure you know what you're not in any danger out there. I don't have to work or anything. You and Cooper can shove me in the corner for a day. I just want to make sure you're safe."

I nodded, eagerly agreeing to that. That was only one of the things that I wanted to talk to him about. In fact, it was the lesser of the two subjects we needed to discuss. "The second thing is… It's a bit more personal. It's more of a request than a compromise. Although, I suppose that we could compromise. What I mean is, if you're willing to let me do this, I'll do_ anything_, Brady. You just have to tell me what it is that you want, and I swear, I'll give it to you."

"What are you talking about, Roxanne?"

"I know that traditionally, in an arranged marriage, I'm supposed to go to your home and stop everything else. I knew that when I said yes. I knew that when I suggested we do this. It's just that… I take these classes and they're online, so I can still be the good wife. I can still take care of the house and any—any children we have," I winced at the word. I'd been actively avoiding thinking about the fact that i would have to consummate a marriage with a man I didn't love yet. God how I wished we could wait.

"You want to stay in school?" he asked. I nodded, biting my lip with nerves. His booming guffaw didn't bode well for my cause. I wanted nothing more than to help people like me. He had every right to take that away from me. I had just been hoping that he wouldn't. I'd been hoping that he would be reasonable about this. No; I'd been hoping the imprint would help my cause. He was still laughing while I worked to replace my facade. I had shown him far too much emotion today. "Of course you can stay in school."

"What?" I fumbled.

"Roxanne, I'm not going to take things from you. You want to go to school? Fine. You want to chase down crabs in the Pacific? Great. I just want you safe. That's all I care about. You're taking online courses? That's fantastic. I know you'll be safe on the Rez. If you decide to take classes on campus, just tell me when so I can go with you. I won't get in your way. I'll just be the body guard." He was being so reasonable about this. "And here I thought you were going to decide you were finished with this engagement."

"I just know the way that things are traditionally," I replied.

"We're not exactly a traditional couple, Roxanne. I mean, ignoring wolf and imprint, we're still not normal. Our betrothal was broken once before, for starters. Secondly, I don't think I've ever heard of the woman putting everything back together after she'd called it off the first time. We don't have to go by tradition. I don't want an arranged marriage, I wan a _real_ one. I want it with you. So don't feel like you have give up your life for me."

"We can compromise, though, Brady. I'm not against compromising and figuring everything out," I insisted. He smiled and kissed my temple. It was strange. The motion was so intimate, like something a husband would do if he'd been married for a long time. It was tender and intimate. "What is it that you want from me?" I asked. "Since I begged you for school, what is it you want from me?" He seemed to be pondering my question for a long time, then his eyes lit up brightly. He turned me to face him more fully and beamed at me.

"If you're not at the Makah Reservation or working, I want you to come here. I want us to go out on dates and talk, like we are tonight. I want everything between us to be as resolved as we can make it before we get married. House, school, kids, everything. I want to talk about it all before we marry," he said. It sounded completely reasonable. Actually, it didn't even sound like a compromise. Although I suppose his allowing me to work wasn't really a compromise on his part.

"That's one. You have one more," I replied.

He tapped his chin, his other hand chafing my arm to keep me warm. "As a wolf, I can't be apart from my imprint for very long. And it's even harder when I know that something's wrong," he began slowly. I could feel my lip trembling. "I know that you have nightmares, Roxanne." I nodded. It wasn't a secret. Even my father knew I had trouble sleeping. "I feel what you feel, which means that feel your fear when they come." I had never intended to interrupt his sleep. "I want you to take the room that adjoins mine. It's easier to deal with if I know that you're right next to me."

"Simple enough," I said, smiling shyly up at him. "So long as you don't intend on being a peeping Tom," I cautioned.

The look he gave me was nothing short of roguish. "No guarantees."


	35. Chapter XXXIV

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter all! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXXIV**

I woke up the next morning feel better rested than I had in a week. Brady and I had gone to sleep before his parents and brother had gotten home. Apparently, his dad and brother enjoyed spending a decent amount of time away from the Rez when Judith worked late. Brady had shown me to the new bedroom that he wanted me to have, but after all the conversations that we'd had I found myself exhausted. I hadn't talked to anyone about my feelings as much as I was talking to Brady these past few days.

The nightmares seemed to have disappeared that night though. I wondered if it was because he had promised me that he would be there to protect me. I couldn't be sure. In truth, I refused to analyze the fact that I slept so comfortably in his house. "Roxanne?" he called, rapping his knuckles on the door. I groaned, but told him to come in. "Good morning. I brought you some coffee." I pushed myself upright in the bed, realizing that, once again, I wasn't wearing a bra. I would probably have to get used to it. We were to be married after all.

"What's on the agenda for today?" I asked, bringing to sheet up over my chest, pinching it between my arm and my side. He handed me the coffee with a little smile on his face.

"So, here's the thing," he began slowly. I felt the familiar creep of anxiety in my veins. "Nothing bad. Calm down," he said quickly. His hand came to rest on my thigh, the warmth of his touch evaporating the nerves. "My grandmother and some aunts of mine are here. The uncles, my dad, Tim, and my grandfather are all going to go out fishing. Chances are that they won't catch anything, but it's what they do." I nodded. Meeting his family still caused my fears to boil in my stomach, but somehow they weren't freaking me out. "So, we have a couple of options here. I can stay and hang out here with you and the girls," though he didn't look like he wanted to stick around. "Or I can call one of the girls and have them come down here. All the imprints could come, since it is our engagement party. The girls won't mind."

"I don't want to be a bother to anyone, Brady," I muttered. "I'm sure that I can handle your family on my own." I didn't want to be an inconvenience. I didn't want him to feel like the rest of his life had to be catering to me. I was independent. I didn't need anyone, no matter how good it felt to have him here. "I'll figure it out on my own," I assured him. There was a heavy sigh from him and then a brief chuckle. "What's that mean?" I asked. I might as well start learning his cues. I was going to be bound to him forever.

"I was just hoping that for once, you would tell me what actually goes on in that head of yours, but since you're still too worried about what I'm going to say, I'll just plan on hanging around here today," he replied. There was nothing malicious about his tone. He didn't sound the least bit upset with me. He actually sounds resigned, like he'd been sincerely wishing for me to tell him about my problems so that he could fix it. Unfortunately, I couldn't. There were some problems that were just a reality, a part of who I was.

I supposed that he should know about them before our marriage. Might as well give him the chance to break the engagement as well. "I have an anxiety problem," I said slowly. "I have since the night that vampire killed my mom. The therapist my father sent me to said it's because I feel responsible for my mother's death. And I suppose that he's right, but since i could tell him about that vampire, he has no idea that I'm also responsible for my father's life. Anything could go wrong and it would be all my fault, Brady. Every body that I meet… There's this little voice in my head that warns me. Anyone could be a vampire. If I hadn't seen that man feeding on my mother, I would never have believed that vampires were real. But there's no arguing with the truth when it's killing the people you love. Every one I meet, though," I trailed off with a sigh. "I have to get over it eventually. And I doubt that your grandmother is a vampire." He growled at that. I was learning that was a sound he made whenever vampires were mentioned in my vicinity or that of his family.

"You don't have to handle everything on your own, Roxanne. I'll stick around, maybe watching some T.V. in the living room. That way I'll be close by if anything happens or you start to feel uncomfortable. No anxiety attacks necessary," he said with a smile. So that was on thing he was willing to joke about. Good to know. "I, uh," he blushed red and looked suddenly sheepish. "I'm really hoping you won't be angry, but I told my family about your accident." Why would that make me angry? He was only trying to prepare them. "My family lacks a filtration system. Usually anything that comes to mind _flies_ out of their mouths. I was worried about what they would say, especially my grandmother. She tends to make assumptions regardless of what the truth is. For example, if she were to see you working in a kitchen, she would assume that you couldn't do it because you only have one arm. While my family and I know different, with the exception of certain prep work, my Nana wouldn't."

"I could wear the arm," I said without thinking. I hated the arm. The pads that I was supposed to wear over the stump left of my arm was uncomfortable. It tended to chafe my armpit and side. Not to mention that the arm itself had to strap over my chest in order to stay on. "If it would make your family more comfortable, of course. I don't want to cause a fuss," I explained. My chest was too large for the strap to fit across comfortably. I would get used to wearing it throughout the day, but it looked exactly like what it was, defeating the purpose of the prosthetic.

"I thought you didn't like wearing it," he said with a little frown.

"I don't. I just don't want your family to feel uncomfortable."

"Okay, well, I don't care about how they feel; I care about you. Don't wear the arm if it's something you don't like," he insisted. I nodded, still thinking about wearing it. "Besides." His hand drifted to my shoulder. I was shocked when he skimmed the thick scar. No, not even my dad, touched the stub. It scared people. His hand settled on the end of what used to be my arm, his thumb brushing my shoulder. "They'll get used to it eventually."

Still reeling from his hands on my body, I sucked in a tight breath and thanked him. "I won't wear the arm. But I should get dressed. So that I don't have to greet the rest of your family without a bra on," I pointed out. Instantly, I regretted the words. His eyes dipped down to my chest and lingered there in a way that had me blushing to the roots of my hair. I pulled the sheet back in place, not having realized that it slipped. "Hardly appropriate for meeting you grandmother."

Less than ten minutes later, I had managed to dress myself and brush my hair, leaving it down for the day. "Good morning," I greeted. Judith was standing alongside a women who looked so much like her, I was almost taken aback. Judith greeted me in kind. I must have misunderstood. I could have sworn that Brady had said his family _would be_ coming, not that they were already here. "I'm Roxanne Potts," I said, sticking my left hand out to the woman. She looked at it and then at my right, realizing that there was no arm there.

Had I known that his family was already there, I would have put on a cardigan or something with a sleeve. Something that would have taken the attention from my arm. Brady and his family had gotten used to seeing me without anything covering it. Especially Brady. I felt comfortable going around in my tank tops and t-shirts. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to be stared at by people. I didn't go out often enough to deal with it. "No one told me she was crippled," the older woman stated.

"She's not, Nana," Brady said as he came down the stairs. "Roxanne lost her arm in an accident a few years ago. They cut off her arm to save the rest of her." He slipped his arm around me, resting his hands on my nub. "I, for one, am happy they did," he smiled down at me. The anxiety that had been building dissipated instantly. It _was_ him. He bent low to my ear. "Here goes nothing," he breathed.


End file.
